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.
