As white sharks return to the Cape, researchers are serving to the general public chomp on shark hotspot information from final summer time and fall.
The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s “White Shark Logbook” has been up to date with final yr’s acoustic detection information of tagged apex predators.
Greater than 100 particular person sharks have been detected alongside the Cape final yr — leading to almost 170,000 whole detections on the scientist’s receivers.
So the place have been the highest shark hotspots final yr?
“It’s clear the Outer Cape is really where it’s at when it comes to white shark activity in Massachusetts’ waters,” stated Megan Winton, analysis scientist on the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. “Also, Cape Cod Bay still had a fair amount of activity.”
The preferred shark spot was alongside Chatham’s Monomoy Island, the place sharks hunt for seals. The “South Shark Cove” receiver alongside Monomoy had probably the most detections with 18,122 final yr — 74 particular person tagged sharks have been detected there.
The runner-up for detections was Nauset North in Orleans with 13,896 final yr — 45 particular person sharks have been detected there.
Different hotspots have been: Chatham Harbor Inlet South (10,604 detections, with 79 sharks); Nauset Seashore South (6,214 detections, with 76 sharks); Coast Guard Seashore (7,897 detections, with 72 sharks); Nauset Mild (10,040 detections, with 73 sharks); Marconi (7,821 detections, with 72 sharks); and Lecount Hole (9,388 detections, with 61 sharks).
Relating to Cape Cod Bay, one of many prime spots was Manomet Level in Plymouth — with 2,689 detections and 13 particular person sharks.
“Many seals are there, so that makes sense,” Winton stated. “A lot of folks are surprised when we tell them that sharks are also in the Bay.”
There have been 109 whole sharks detected final yr, down from 128 sharks in the course of the earlier yr. However there have been extra general shark detections final yr with 169,601 detections — in comparison with 145,440 detections from the earlier yr.
“We don’t really know what’s behind that with the decrease in sharks, but that’s still a lot of sharks,” Winton stated.
Quite a lot of sharks solely go by means of the Cape for a seal meal earlier than persevering with north, whereas different sharks spend lots of time alongside the Cape.
As an illustration, the 8.5-foot shark named Bruce had 15,802 whole detections final yr.
“We have resident individuals that spend seemingly most of the summer and fall here, actively patrolling the coastline for seals,” Winton stated.
Breaking the detections down by month, probably the most detections have been in October (55,187 detections), adopted by September (44,662) and August (40,725). There have been 5,911 detections final July, and 562 detections in June.
Sharks have been nonetheless right here in November and December final yr — with 20,845 detections in November, and 1,639 detections in December.
Knowledge for the White Shark Logbook is managed in collaboration with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.
