FALMOUTH, Mass. (AP) – Scientists succeeded on Friday afternoon in coaxing a 15-foot great white shark within 100 feet of the narrow, shallow point between two islands that leads to the open ocean, raising hopes the animal would soon leave on its own.

The state’s Division of Marine Fisheries, working with commercial fishermen, strung a series of nets and electronic repellent devices in the lagoon where the 1,700-pound female shark has been swimming for more than a week.

The goal is to get it to swim through the inlet between Naushon and Monohansett islands off of Falmouth to the open ocean. The shark may be hesitant because the water is only three- to four-feet deep at low tide at the egress point, said Bob Greco, a spokesman for the fisheries department.

“The shark is right at the mouth of the area they call the southwest gutter,” he said. “Marine biologists think the reason the shark didn’t want to go out that way is because it is too shallow.”

The first nets and repellant devices were set at 10 Friday morning and were immediately successful, persuading the shark to move closer to the exit.

The shark had not escaped as of 5 p.m. on Friday and officials hoped the shark would slip out under cover of darkness. If not, officials were scheduled to restart the rescue efforts on Saturday morning.

The state wants to move the shark both for its own benefit – the 15- to 20-foot deep waters in the lagoon are far too shallow for a predator of its size – and for the public’s safety.

The shark was first spotted on Sept. 21 near Naushon Island, off the southwestern coast of Cape Cod. Scientists attached a satellite tracking device to the shark’s dorsal fin, marking the first time a great white has been outfitted with such a device.

Scores of boaters visited the lagoon to see the shark, prompting officials to cordon off the immediate area in hopes of keeping gawkers at bay for their own safety and the shark’s.

—

On the Net: Division of Marine Fisheries: http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf/

AP-ES-10-01-04 1800EDT