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Great White Shark - Carcharodon Carcharias

Ocean Water Fish

Stamp Info

Name Value
Date of Issue May 30, 1997
Year 1997
Quantity 2,500,000
Denomination
45¢
Perforation or Dimension 12.5 x 13
Series Ocean Water Fish
Series Time Span 1997
Printer Ashton-Potter Canada Limited.
Postal Administration Canada

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Stamp Price Values

Condition Name Avg Value
M-NH-VF
Mint - Never Hinged - Very Fine Only available to paid users
U-VF
Used - Very Fine Only available to paid users
* Notes about these prices:
  • They are not based on catalogue values but on current dealer and auction listings. The reason for this is that catalogues tend to over-value stamps.
  • They are average prices. The actual value of your stamp may be slightly above or below the listed value, depending on the overall condition of your stamp. Use these prices as a guide to determine the approximate value of your stamps.

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Layouts

Pane of 20 Stamps

Quantity Produced - 500,000
Current Purchase Price: Only available to paid users
Original Purchase Price: $9.00
Perforation: 12.5 x 13
Printing Process: Lithography in 6 colours
Gum Type: PVA
Tagging: None (fluorescent coated paper)
Paper: Coated Papers Limited
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Official First Day Cover

Quantity Produced - Unknown
Current Purchase Price: Only available to paid users
Cancellation Location: Alberton PE
Perforation: 12.5 x 13
Printing Process: Lithography in 6 colours
Gum Type: PVA
Tagging: None (fluorescent coated paper)
Paper: Coated Papers Limited
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About Stamp

Upon his return to England in 1497, John Cabot reported that fish were so abundant in the waters of North Atlantic (of what is now Newfoundland), one could fold up the nets and retrieve a catch by simply dipping a basket into the sea. By the 16th century, hundreds of ships and thousands of men were drawn by the North American cod and whale fisheries. The fish brought the fleets that resulted in the settlement of Newfoundland and the establishment of numerous villages in the Maritimes. Since then, fishing has remained a vital industry in Canada, and the fish who inhabit our ocean waters have become part of our heritage. Celebrating that heritage, our new Ocean Water Fish stamps celebrate four of the creatures that swim the waters off the Canadian coastline. Collectors will be interested to know that the official first day cover for the Ocean Water Fish stamps will be postmarked in Alberton PEI - the site of the largest great white shark caught in Canadian waters, measuring 5.26 metres in length. Marking a splash on the issue day of May 30, 1997 in a set of four domestic-rate stamps are the great white shark, bluefin tuna, Pacific halibut and Atlantic sturgeon. Ocean enthusiasts of all ages will be impressed with the realism of these stamps. The 1997 Ocean Water Fish stamp design is by Q30 Design Inc. of Toronto, whose earlier stamp work includes the Holocaust stamps and the High Technology stamp set. The selection of the fish was a difficult task but even larger challenge came from the decision to use actual underwater photographs. Although it was extremely difficult to find underwater photographs that were sharp and clear enough to be reproduced in postage stamp size, the design team knew that photography was the best way to convey the qualities of the fish. And the results are stunning. There is no shark more notorious than the great white (Carcharodon carcharias). Found in the warm temperate parts of all oceans, this shark has been recorded in the Atlantic as far north as Hare Bay, Newfoundland and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Occasionally, great white sharks have been reported in British Columbia waters and even as far north as Alaska. In Canada, the great white appears in warm waters, most frequently in August preferring the water temperatures between 12 and 25oC. Sharks are the modern survivors of an ancient group that was among the first true fish to inhabits primeval seas. They differ from most modern fish in that they have a skeleton of cartilage rather than of bone. Absent also is the swim bladder that other fish have, which means that sharks must move constantly or skin towards the bottom. Although about 340 species of sharks have been catalogued worldwide from the Arctic to the Antarctic, only 36 species occur in Canadian waters. The great white is distinguished from the other related mackerel sharks by its distinctive, strongly serrated, almost triangular-shaped upper-jaw teeth which approach 8 cm in length. Its snout is conical and pointed, hence the shark is sometimes called the white pointer. Despite its name, the great white shark is not white at all, except in very large specimens which are a dull white grey. The back is lead grey, grey brown, slate blue or black and fades to a dirty white on the belly. The pectoral fins (both sides) have black tips while the dorsal (back) and caudal (tail) are dark along their rear edges. The great white lives to be at least 20 years old, while growing to be about six metres in length. Its diet consists of harbour seals, sea lions, harbour porpoises, shell fish, sea turtles, gulls and fish. Many unusual items have been found in the stomachs of these sharks including a whole sheep, a bulldog, a cuckoo clock and bottles and cans.

Creators

Designed by Glenda Rissman. Designed by Peter D.K. Scott.

Similar Stamps

Reference

Canada Post Corporation. Canada's Stamp Details, Vol. 6, No. 3, 1997, p. 5-7.

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