Massachusetts

Study of Cape Cod Shark Problem Finds No Definitive Solution

The report by the Woods Hole Group, the Cape Cod National Seashore and Atlantic White Shark Conservancy offers 27 solutions including changing human behavior

A long-awaited report on what to do about the great white sharks prowling Cape Cod waters offered more than two dozen suggestions but concluded there is nothing that can provide 100% safety.

The report by the Woods Hole Group — a coalition of towns, the Cape Cod National Seashore and Atlantic White Shark Conservancy — was released Wednesday.

The 27 suggested solutions were divided into three categories: technology-based, barrier-based and biological-based.

They included visual detection with towers, drones and balloons; sonar; physical barriers; acoustic barriers; and electromagnetic deterrents.

Seal contraception and a seal or shark cull were ruled out.

The study said the most effective solution may be changing human behavior.

Sharks were spotted almost daily at Cape Cod beaches last summer. One person was killed in a shark attack last year.

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