Bite marks found on a washed-up seal on Thursday have been identified as most likely from a great white shark. The seal washed up from Marblehead Harbor onto the beach at Cove Lane on Marblehead Neck on Thursday and was found by swimmers.
New England Aquarium biologist John Chisolm identified the bite marks.
“It’s typical of a shark bite given the puncture wounds and most likely a white shark,” Chisolm said after analyzing images of the seal.
Chisholm said this time of year is when white shark activity on the North Shore reaches its peak, but many people are still relatively unaware of the true level of the shark population here. He thinks that swimmers should exercise a level of caution.
“A lot of people are under the misconception that the sharks are only on Cape Cod, but the sharks are all along the coast of New England this time of year,” Chisholm said. “If you’re going into the water you have to be shark smart. Follow the shark safety guidelines: Don’t swim alone, don’t cause a commotion in the water, be aware of your surroundings and definitely look for fish or seals because you don’t want to swim with the bait.”
The number of sharks north of Cape Cod has been steadily growing over the last few decades since the Marine Mammals Protection Act of 1972, which protects seals — one of the shark’s main prey.
“Seals are making a comeback, and the things that eat them are making a comeback,” Chisholm said.
In Ipswich on Tuesday, a police officer spotted a great white shark in 5-7 feet of water, and the beach was closed for swimming. Later that day, a WBZ-TV news helicopter spotted about 20 sharks in the shallow water of Crane’s Beach. Experts think they gathered in that location due to a combination of factors.
“It’s just the preferred location right now and it’s a different place every year,” Chisholm said. “The whole area from Canada to Cape Cod is one of the emerging hotspots in the world for shark numbers. But within that area they can be in different places at different times based on the availability of food, and water temperatures.”
