CAUGHT!!!

The shark that is believed to have been the cause of the deaths of Alex Kitner and Chrissie Watson was caught and killed this morning.

According to a press release, the fish was caught one mile south-southwest off the shores of Amity by fishermen and Police Chief Martin Brody said the men "will receive a $3,000 reward for their heroic and selfless efforts".

The alleged killer was inspected by marine biologist, Matt Hooper, from the Woods Hole, Mass. Oceanographic Institute.  Hooper, a shark expert, identified the fish as a nurse shark.

National Geographic describes nurse sharks as "slow-moving bottom-dwellers and are, for the most part, harmless to humans".  The nurse shark's preferred diet consists of fish, shrimp and squid so it therefore seems contradictory that the press release describes nurse sharks as "the most brutal and dangerous of all sharks and have been responsible for hundreds of swimmers' deaths".

"Nurse sharks... will bite defensively" said an article in National Geographic, however, they do not typically harm humans and are usually found in along the coasts of South America and Florida.

Despite the ambiguity surrounding the capture of the alleged killer shark, Chief Brody has reopened all beaches and is urging all Amity residents to set a good example for tourists and get out and enjoy all the beautiful Fourth of July weekend festivities.

"I urge all our residents to recreate at the beaches in order to encourage the participation of all our visitors in the wonderful water sports of which we all so happily partake" said Brody.

Brody was not so enthusiastic at a town meeting yesterday when he announced that he would be closing all beaches for a 24 hour period.  This announcement had people reacting with shock, anger and comments such as "24 hours is like three weeks!".

However, with the killer shark supposedly caught, beaches will be reopened for this weekend with shark spotters from the Coast Guard, Marine Patrol, Massachusetts State Police, U.S. Navy, Homeland Security, the FBI and local police agencies present to ensure the safety of visitors and residents.

Brody insists these measures are merely precautionary.  "We believe we can safely say that the danger of further shark attacks has probably passed" said Brody.

Regardless, any shark sightings should be reported to the toll-free shark hotline, 1-800-sharksee.