At least three sharks have washed up on the east coast of Graham Island recently, beachcombers report.
Queen Charlotte resident Carolyn Hesseltine was out for a walk in Tlell last Sunday when she and a friend came across a still-living shark a bit north of Wiggins Road.
She said the shark was approximately five feet long, with a notched tail, rough skin and a pointy snout, and seemed to have no obvious injuries. She tried to help it back into the water, but was unable to move it.
"We did what we could to redirect him into the water but we couldn't," she said. "He wasn't about to go back out, he was pretty lethargic."
The shark was a beautiful grey colour with a white belly, she added.
Ms Hesseltine, who runs the Queen Charlotte visitor info centre, said she also heard from tourists that an even larger shark had been seen near the mouth of the Tlell River, and that another one was found beached near the Oeanda River.
Gwaii Haanas marine biologist Norm Sloan said he isn't surprised to hear of sharks washing up, as it has happened here in previous years, but he has no idea why.
"It's a mystery of the sea," he said.