OUTDOOR NOTES : Great Whites Can Be Found Close to Shore

The great white shark believed to have been caught on two different occasions by the same pair of fishermen off the Manhattan Beach Pier last week is considered a fluke.

However, the fact that the shark--or sharks, if there were more than one--swam so close to shore apparently wasn’t that unusual.

Richard Rosenblatt, a marine biologist with the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, said young great whites are known to feed on smaller bottom fish near shore “until their diets can handle the marine mammals,” which are generally found near the rookeries at offshore islands.

Rosenblatt emphasized: “I don’t mean to say the waters are crawling with sharks.”

But he added that there may be more than people realize swimming not far beyond the surf.

And he questioned whether the year-old, seven-foot shark caught by Mike Walker and David Bird on Aug. 31 was the same one the pair caught last Thursday.

“The fact that it was the same size doesn’t mean a thing,” Rosenblatt said. “I remember back in 1955, there were several (great whites) of the same size taken right off Scripps Pier.”

In 1987, Walker and Bird caught two other great whites of similar size and age off the Manhattan Beach Pier. The young sharks aren’t considered particularly dangerous and there have been no beach closings because of the catches.

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Add great white: If young white sharks feed in nearshore waters until they get big enough to feed on marine mammals offshore, does that mean the larger and more dangerous great whites--which can grow to 18 feet and weigh 4,000 pounds--come into the Southern California coastal zone to give birth?

Peter Klimley, a researcher with the Bodega Marine Laboratory in Bodega Bay, has studied white sharks and their rearing and migratory habits but has found little conclusive evidence that they do.

“Not commonly, anyway,” Klimley said, adding that the possibility of large white sharks spending any significant time in shallow water is greater in the temperate waters of Northern California. “But then again, they may swim inshore and give birth and just be there for a day or so and not be seen,” he said.

Two UCLA graduate students kayaking together just off the Malibu coast in 1989 are believed to have been killed by great whites.

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A shooting record some people thought to be unbeatable has been shattered by John Cloherty of Pasadena, who broke 4,551 clay targets in an hour.

Former Olympian Dan Carlisle set the old record of 3,172 at Raahauge’s shooting ranch in Norco on May 20. Cloherty, the new director of Sporting Clays development for the National Rifle Assn., topped it Aug. 30 at the Sports Afield Shooting Sports Fair at Puyallup, Wash.

Cloherty used 22 shotguns, firing 6,599 shells, or one every half-second. Six skeet machines threw 10,741 incoming targets toward Cloherty.

Cloherty said he learned important techniques from watching the efforts by Carlisle and Alan Owens, who failed to top Carlisle’s record recently. Carlisle complained that his legs gave out first, whereas Owens’ grip kept slipping.

“You can’t do it standing up,” Cloherty said.

So he sat in a folding chair and wore motorcycle gloves.

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Briefly

SALTWATER--While the San Diego fleet’s attention has been centered on the outer banks south of the border, the Holiday out of Point Loma Sportfishing paid a visit to the Cortez Bank 97 miles west of Point Loma in U.S. waters. The 20 passengers aboard the vessel were “knee-deep” in tuna, according to a spokeswomen for the landing. The Holiday returned Monday with 304 bluefin tuna averaging about 30 pounds. Top fish: a 42-pounder by Dave Shields of La Canada.

Meanwhile, the San Diego fleet is still finding scattered concentrations of bluefin, yellowfin and skipjack tuna between 50 and 100 miles south. The American Angler and Red Rooster III traveled farther south, to Guadalupe Island, and found the yellowfin bite to be wide open. Top fish: a 70-pound yellowfin taken aboard the American Angler by Bodo Meschkat of Valencia.

Cabo San Lucas: Fishing has improved for the third consecutive week. Blue marlin remain the primary target. Biggest fish: a 625-pounder taken aboard a private boat after a 14-hour fight. The Gaviota Fleet has been averaging 4.29 fish a boat. Dorado have made up most of the catch. Daytime temperatures just under 100 degrees. The Tortuga Fleet, on 38 trips, caught and released 51 marlin and four sailfish.