It’s not simply nice white sharks cruising round our native waters.
Hammerhead sharks have been just lately noticed off the Bay State coast, in accordance with a number one shark researcher who mentioned it was the primary reported hammerhead sightings of the season.
A number of hammerheads have been seen in Buzzards Bay off Cuttyhunk Island, in accordance with John Chisholm, adjunct scientist on the New England Aquarium. That island within the Elizabeth Islands chain is to the west of Martha’s Winery.
That is the time of 12 months when hammerhead sharks are first noticed on the south facet of the Winery or Nantucket, Chisholm added.
“When the water gets really warm, you can even get hammerhead sightings near New Hampshire and Maine,” he mentioned.
The hammerhead sightings could possibly be an indication of issues to return for different warm-water sharks.
“As the water keeps warming, I anticipate that warm-water species will be showing up in greater numbers,” Chisholm mentioned.
These species embrace blacktip, spinner and bull sharks.
A bull shark was noticed off a Lengthy Island seashore final summer season.
“If the water gets warm enough up here, I would expect to see them,” Chisholm mentioned.
He added that some native fishermen have claimed that they caught a bull shark, however he by no means obtained photographic affirmation.
Bull sharks have been slowly rising their vary up the East Coast lately due to the climbing water temps. Along with the ocean, bull sharks additionally take pleasure in shallow heat estuaries and bays, they usually can tolerate contemporary water.
Tens of hundreds of seals alongside Cape Cod have attracted nice white sharks lately. Whereas bull sharks favor to eat fish and rays, they’re able to consuming seals.
In the meantime, tiger sharks have been noticed sporadically off the Islands in latest seasons. Final 12 months, a giant tiger shark washed up on a Nantucket seashore. The shark was swept out to sea at Tom Nevers Seaside earlier than the apex predator could possibly be secured by beachgoers.
Latest analysis has discovered that tiger sharks are migrating farther north annually due to hotter oceans. Whereas waters off the Northeast have traditionally been too chilly for tiger sharks, temps have warmed considerably lately and at the moment are appropriate for tiger sharks, in accordance with researchers.
The shark scientists from the College of Miami warned that tiger sharks shifting north might result in extra interactions between sharks and people.
Over the past decade — when ocean temperatures have been the warmest on report — for each one-degree Celsius improve in water temps above common, tiger shark migrations prolonged farther poleward by roughly 250 miles.
