PROVINCETOWN, Mass. (AP) — An increase in the number of great white sharks around Cape Cod has forced a longtime Massachusetts charity swim race to be rerouted.
The Cape Cod Times reports that Cape Cod National Seashore officials have denied a permit for the 32nd annual Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla. The race was originally slated to start off Long Point Beach in Provincetown Harbor.
Agency superintendent Brian Carlstrom says starting the race there isn’t in line with the organization’s “shark-smart” principles.
Carlstrom says the agency made the decision out of an abundance of caution.
The rerouted Sept. 7 race will be closer to shore.
The state’s first fatal shark attack in 80 years occurred last September off Cape Cod. Another man was seriously injured in an attack last August.
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