First great white shark of the season confirmed off Massachusetts

The first great white shark of the season has been confirmed in Massachusetts waters, the New England Aquarium said Tuesday.

The aquarium issued a release warning the public to be aware of their surroundings and report shark sightings after Sunday's sighting off Nantucket. They said a witness noticed a pool of blood off Smith's Point in Madaket on the western end of the island, and then saw a seal swimming toward the beach with a shark following behind.

John Chisholm, a scientist with the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, examined photos of the seal’s wounds and confirmed that the bite came from a white shark. 

“This is the time of year when we like to remind people to be ‘shark smart’ as white sharks return to the inshore waters of New England, where they’ll hunt seals and other prey through the summer and into the fall,” Chisholm said. 

That means being aware of sharks' presence in shallow waters, avoiding areas where seals are present or schools of fish are visible and staying close to shore.

The public can report sightings and stay informed on shark activity through the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s Sharktivity app. Sharktivity provides information and push notifications on white shark sightings, detections, and movements.

As part of a partnership between the New England Aquarium and the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, Chisholm serves as citizen science coordinator for the aquarium, verifying shark sighting reports and identifying legitimate sightings to be posted on Sharktivity.

Typically, mid-June is when most great white sharks arrive in the New England area. Cape Cod and the Islands have become hot spots for great white sharks, which are brought to the area to feast on seals. In recent years sightings off the coast of Maine have increased as well.

While shark attacks in Massachusetts are rare, a man who was boogie boarding off Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet in 2018 died after being bitten by a shark. It was the first fatal shark attack in Massachusetts since 1936.