(WHDH) — Three great white sharks that were spotted circling a whale carcass in the water off Cape Cod were tagged Wednesday, marking the official start of shark season in New England.
Dr. Greg Skomal, of Massachusetts Marine Fisheries, tagged the sharks off Monomoy, according to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.
“We received a report of a dead whale floating. Whenever there’s a dead whale floating not to far from Cape Cod, there’s a likelihood that you’re going to see white sharks feeding on it,” Skomal told 7NEWS.
In a tweet, the conservancy said, “The 2020 white shark research season kicked off today!”
The 2020 white shark research season kicked off today! Dr. Greg Skomal of @MassDMF, working with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, tagged three white sharks that were circling a whale carcass off Monomoy today! pic.twitter.com/nuUnEKuq37
— Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (@A_WhiteShark) June 17, 2020
“June is certainly a month that we anticipate starting to see white sharks,” Skomal said.
Despite the new shark sightings, Skomal said beachgoers should not be afraid to go swimming, but they should exercise caution in deep waters.
“The probability of being attacked by a shark is really low,” Skomal said. “Any deep water close to the shoreline…there’s a potential that there’s a shark hunting in that area.”
The conservancy’s Sharkivity app also alerted a shark sighting in Cape Cod Bay around 2 p.m. An image of the shark was captured from the air.
The shark was estimated to be 14 or 15 feet long.
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