Just in time for the influx of summer tourists to the popular Massachusetts beach, two great white sharks have been spotted off the coast of Cape Cod.
State fisheries officials say two of seven great white sharks that were tagged last summer off the Cape Cod coast have been detected via their transmitter signals. The state tagged the seven animal last year as part of an initiative to track them. Audio signals from the electronic trackers worn by two of the sharks are now being received by the State Division of Marine Fisheries.
Officials say the sharks may be attracted to the Massachusetts coast, not for the tourist attractions that dot the resort area, but for a growing seal population that inhabits Monomoy Island.For the sharks, it’s an all-you-can-eat seal buffet. A shark researcher for the state of Massachusetts, noted that he had seen seals with shark bite markings on them as recently as last Wednesday.
As a precaution, officials have closed beaches and/or restricted swimming in the past due to shark activity, however this year so far the sharks are not close enough to tourist-populated areas for officials to need to make that call. For tourists who want to make waves despite the warnings, shark researcher John Chisholm has some advice: “Don’t swim with the seals. That’s really all we can say. It’s their ocean.”
