"Blood in the Water" Recounts 1916 Matawan Creek Shark Attack on Shark Week
A Shark Attack in a Freshwater Creek? Is Shark Week Delving into Fiction?
A fresh water shark attack? A shark in a creek? What a terrible idea for a movie -- right? Aren't they stretching credibility just a bit too far? And haven't we seen enough bad shark movies? But "Blood In The Water" is a true story, one that inspired the classic Peter Benchley novel "Jaws." It is a story of death and injury by shark bite. One of those shark attacks occurred at Matawan Creek, New Jersey, in 1916.
But sharks are salt water animals, aren't they? How is it that a shark survived in fresh water?
"Blood In The Water" recounts the a 12-day period in 1916 where five people were attacked by sharks. Four were killed. The survivor was one of three people bitten at Matawan Creek, a place where sharks normally are never seen.
Lester Stillwell and Joseph Dunn were swimming in Matawan Creek when they were attacked. Stanley Fisher, 25, who was part of a party that attempted to rescue Stillwell, was also attacked. Stillwell and Fisher died from their wounds. Dunn, who was bitten on the leg, survived. Although it was said he would lose his leg, he did not.
Although many believed that the shark that killed the two at Matawan Creek was a Great White shark, there are others who believe it was a bull shark. Bull sharks have been found in various fresh water sources, sometimes far upriver or upstream in some cases, their high tolerance for fresh water nearly unique among shark species. And bull sharks are aggressive, counted among the triad of killers that generally attack humans that includes the Great White and the Tiger Shark.
The Matawan Creek shark was described as being ten feet long.
A Great White was killed in Raritan Bay (which Matawan Creek feeds into) a few days after the incidents and its stomach contents was found to match some of the victims. It was stuffed, put on display, and became a popular window attraction at a local newspaper office.
But what caused the shark attacks to occur? Scientists are unsure, but it is speculated that the recent activity on the beaches attracted the sharks. The popular pastime of going to the beach was just beginning to be a popular pastime.
And the Matawan Creek shark attack? Another unknown.
But were all the 1916 attacks carried out by one shark? The possibility exists, but it is also possible that the 1916 shark attacks could have been the work of two, three or more sharks. "Blood In The Water" is a mystery that will never have a definitive answer.
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Source:
"Blood In The Water," Discovery Channel
NJHM.com
Independent.gmnews.com
Sharkattackphotos.com
Published by Saul Relative
WVU graduate, with degrees in History, English, Secondary Education, Computer Programming, and Psychology (and nearly a degree in Political Science). Originally from West Virginia, with stints in Virginia,... View profile
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- The Matawan Creek shark attack occurred in 1916.
- Bull sharks are known to tolerate fresh water, one of few shark species that do.
- The Matawan Creek shark attack is believed to have been the work of a Great White or Bull Shark.
5 Comments
Post a CommentYeah that was an awesome movie. It is Bull Sharks that can swim in fresh water with no problem. No other shark that they know of can do that. The other sharks can go into rivers if it is salty enough for them to survive.
YIKES!! This is a pretty unique occurence, I'm sure, but I may never wade in the Little Kanawha again :)
I saw that on TV last night on one of the Discovery channels.. it was scary. I didn't realize that some breeds of sharks can actually live in fresh water. Sometimes there is a mixture of salt and fresh water in the river and sharks can thrive.. scary!
I'll be in the Matawn NJ area shortly - but I'll stay out of the water!
Thanks for this very interesting background history on the Matawan Creek shark attacks. Shark Week used to be a favorite of two of my sons :)