Massachusetts

Expert: Great White Sharks Have Probably Already Returned to Massachusetts

Great white sharks are probably already swimming off Cape Cod and the Islands, according to the state's foremost shark expert.

Greg Skomal, a shark researcher with the state Division of Marine Fisheries, told the Boston Globe this week that a wounded seal seen on a Nantucket beach last weekend most likely means at least one or two great whites have already arrived in the area for the season.

Typically, mid-June is when most great white sharks arrive in the New England area. For that reason, Skomal won't start his usual shark-tagging forays until sometime next month.

No shark sightings have been reported off Massachusetts so far this season, according to the Sharktivity app. Last year, a park ranger spotted a great white off Wellfleet's Marconi Beach on May 6.

Overall, 2017 was a particularly active year for great whites off Cape Cod, with dozens of sightings and several beach closures due to sharks being spotted close to shore.

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