Great whites after Labor Day? You betcha!
Four sharks spotted off Chatham
Based on years of shark tagging data, the great white shark peak activity is from August to October, said Cynthia Wigren, CEO and co-founder of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.
Four great white sharks were spotted close together off Chatham earlier this week, a reminder that it’s still peak season for white shark activity off the Cape as October starts.
Spotter pilot Wayne Davis the other day took the photo of the four white sharks during an Atlantic White Shark Conservancy ecotourism trip.
Those with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy said it’s important to let people know that great white shark peak season continues through October, and that people should remain “Shark Smart” and follow safety guidelines.
Based on years of shark tagging data, the great white shark peak activity is from August to October, said Cynthia Wigren, CEO and cofounder of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. Two years ago, peak activity information was added to the shark signs at beaches across the Cape.
“The research team will be out on the water through the end of October,” Wigren said of the shark scientists. “The focus continues to be on deploying high tech tags to learn more about white shark behavior close to shore.”
Hundreds of great white sharks visit the Cape’s waters every year, feasting on seals near the shoreline.
The water temperature along the Cape on Monday was 58 degrees.
“We see a steep drop off in the number of white sharks in November, which we believe is tied to lower water temperatures since seals remain in the area yearround,” Wigren said.
The 2020 detection data of
tagged great white sharks showed August as the most active month with 55,954 detections.
Then September was the next highest month with 27,453 detections, followed by October in third place with 21,006 detections.
The count of detections in November then dropped by about 50% — with 11,818 detections — as the sharks
start migrating south to warmer water. There were 450 detections last December.
Seals are the major prey species for great white sharks, and as the seal population increases, more great white sharks have migrated to the Cape each year.
While it is rare for a great white shark to bite a human, sharks have bitten people
three times in the waters off Truro and Wellfleet since 2012. One shark bite in 2018 resulted in a fatality, the first shark attack death in several decades.
Shark safety guidelines include: avoid areas where seals are present; avoid areas where schools of fish are visible; avoid murky or low-visibility water; and limit splashing.