As nice white sharks return to feast on seals, native shark researchers are urging folks to be “shark smart” and concentrate on their environment.
This security message from the New England Aquarium comes after the primary white shark of the season was confirmed in Massachusetts waters.
Over the weekend off Nantucket, a white shark chomped on a seal. An individual reported that they noticed a pool of blood off Smith’s Level in Madaket. They then noticed a seal swimming towards the seaside with a shark following behind.
John Chisholm, an adjunct scientist within the Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Heart for Ocean Life, examined images of the seal’s wounds and confirmed that the chunk got here from a white shark.
“This is the time of year when we like to remind people to be ‘shark smart’ as white sharks return to the inshore waters of New England, where they’ll hunt seals and other prey through the summer and into the fall,” Chisholm stated.
“Shark smart,” Chisholm says, means being conscious of sharks’ presence in shallow waters, avoiding areas the place seals are current or colleges of fish are seen, and staying near shore the place emergency responders can attain you if wanted.
The general public can report sightings and keep knowledgeable on shark exercise by the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s Sharktivity app.
Sharktivity gives data and push notifications on white shark sightings, detections, and actions to lift consciousness and assist folks and sharks co-exist.
As a part of a partnership between the New England Aquarium and the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, Chisholm serves as citizen science coordinator for the Aquarium — verifying shark sighting studies made by the general public and figuring out reputable sightings to be posted on Sharktivity.
“Increased shark sightings can be a positive sign of a recovering marine ecosystem, but this recovery also means that people should take even more care while swimming or surfing,” stated Nick Whitney, senior scientist and chair of the Anderson Cabot Heart’s Fisheries Science and Rising Applied sciences program.
“Our work in the Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center focuses on balancing ocean use with preservation, meaning we recognize the importance of the ocean for human use while trying to reduce the impact of humans on sharks, and vice versa,” Whitney added.
The New England Aquarium has a group of 9 scientists within the Anderson Cabot Heart for Ocean Life who research sharks — from porbeagle and nurse sharks to thresher, blue, mako, sandbar, and sand tiger sharks.
Greater than 15 shark species reside in New England waters relying on the time of 12 months.
The researchers’ work focuses on monitoring these animals utilizing revolutionary tagging applied sciences — together with satellite tv for pc, acoustic, accelerometer, and digicam tags to trace the sharks’ habitat use, life historical past, and impacts of bycatch throughout industrial and leisure fishing actions.
