BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — There have been multiple marine animals found with white shark bites off the coast of Massachusetts recently.
The New England Aquarium urged the public to be aware of their surroundings and report shark sightings after these reports were announced in a press release on Thursday.
The aquarium received a report from a fishing charter company of a minke whale with a white shark bite off the coast of Chatham on May 21.
Also, a seal was spotted with fresh bite marks in Plymouth in late April.
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John Chisholm, an adjunct scientist at the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, captured a photo of the seal.
He explained that this is the time of year scientists start to see white sharks returning to the inshore waters of New England. Sharks tend to hunt seals and other prey every summer and fall.
“Although we haven’t seen a white shark just yet this season, we know they’re here. With beach weather in the forecast and Memorial Day Weekend approaching, this is a good reminder for people to review shark safety guidelines and be shark smart,” added Chisholm.
He advised people to avoid areas where seals or schools of fish are present, to be on alert for sharks’ presence in shallow waters, and to stay near the shore so you can contact emergency responders if needed.
The New England Aquarium said that the public can report shark sightings and learn about shark activity on the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s Sharktivity app.
The app sends notifications on shark sightings, detections, and movements to help sharks and humans coexist.
“One of the Aquarium’s core values is to balance ocean use with preservation, and a big part of that is finding ways to minimize conflict between humans and wildlife,” said Nick Whitney, senior scientist and chair of the Anderson Cabot Center’s Fisheries Science and Emerging Technologies program.
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Over 15 shark species reside in New England waters depending on the time of year, and the New England Aquarium helps to monitor these animals through tagging technologies to track the sharks’ habitat use and life history.
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