Posted on 06/08/2021 7:22:22 AM PDT by Capt. Tom
Great white shark sightings and detections are starting to increase along the Cape as the weather heats up and more people head to the ocean.
One great white shark — a nearly 11-foot female tagged off the Cape last summer — has already traveled north of Provincetown, according to OCEARCH’s shark tracker.
Meanwhile, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy Sharktivity app has recent shark sightings during the first week of June. A pilot flying out of Chatham Airport during a sightseeing tour last week spotted a great white about a half mile off Marconi Beach in Wellfleet.
The Sharktivity app is also showing an unconfirmed shark sighting off of South Monomoy Island on Saturday.
Other than Andromache already traveling north of Provincetown after hanging out for a bit off the Cape, OCEARCH’s shark tracker is showing other great whites migrating back to the Cape. That includes Monomoy, a 6-foot juvenile male that was last detected off Long Island.
Monomoy was the first juvenile ever tagged by OCEARCH in the Cape Cod area. He’s named after Monomoy Island near where he was tagged last summer.
Charlotte has also recently been detected off Long Island heading toward the Cape. The 8-foot juvenile female was tagged earlier this year off the North Carolina coast.
“Charlotte is a young teenager, not yet entering sexual maturity,” said Bob Hueter, OCEARCH’s chief scientist. “With her 10-year acoustic tag, five-year SPOT tag and one-year PSAT tag, we will be able to track Charlotte as she grows into full adulthood.”
Then there’s Martha, who was last detected off the New Jersey coast migrating up the east coast. The 7-foot juvenile female was tagged off the Cape last summer, and is named after Martha’s Vineyard.
Many recent shark sightings along the Cape have also been basking sharks. With many people mistaking basking shark fins for a white shark, the Massachusetts Sharks Twitter account this week reminded people how to tell them apart.
There are some key features that can help differentiate the two sharks, including the shape of that dorsal fin. The basking shark has a large, triangularshape dorsal fin, which is slightly rounded at the top. The white shark also has a large, triangularshape dorsal fin, but its fin comes to a point at the apex
As expected the white shark season has started at Cape Cod.
I expect we will see a lot of shark news as the new consortium of at least 10 new shark research groups will be reporting about white sharks everywhere in New England.
Let the games begin. -Tom
And when I said “Let the games begin.” I was referring to all the competitive biologists now involved in New England white shark research. -Tom
There will probably be more shark researchers than sharks...................
It’s the gender fluid ones that are really dangerous.
The original group was the Mass. Div. of Marine Fisheries joined a few years later by the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.(AWSC)
AS of Dec. 2020 that has expanded by about 10 more groups of shark biologists. -Tom
Wholbunchalotta government money out there.
Gotsta get their hands on their “fair share”
Meg!
“Wholbunchalotta government money out there.
Gotsta get their hands on their “fair share””
You nailed another aspect of this white shark obsession.-Tom
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ps When I wnt out this morning to get my bagel and coffee I informed the restaurant workers, who are beach goers,that the white sharks have shown up, they immediately told me a Bear was walking around town like it’s a dog. See story and film clip below. -Tom
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