By JAMES NYE
The first great white shark of the Cape Cod summer season has been photographed just 50 yards from the coast off Chatham.
The 16-foot shark, estimated to weigh more than 2,000 pounds, was seen hunting seals near the shore by the Cape Cod Shark Hunters.
'I spotted a couple yesterday,' said pilot George Breen. 'One was about a quarter mile offshore and the bigger of the two was about 50 yards off.'
The 16-foot long, 2000 pound great white shark was spotted of the coast of Chatham, Cape Cod
Chancing upon the shark during the routine flight on Thursday, Cape Cod Shark Hunters are a research and public information group that tracks the infamous and misunderstood great white sharks all year round off the coast of New England.
'We know the areas where they hang out,' said Breen. 'Basically they hang out with the seals... their food source.'
The group issued a warning to beach-goers to be aware of where they are swimming off the beach and not to go out at dusk or dawn or near any seals.
'The shark was located just north of the Chatham Harbor inlet in close proximity to popular swimming beaches,' said the group.
'The sharks have returned to the area, so swimmers are asked to use caution.'
The deadly fish was photographed swimming near to seals, its natural prey
The director of Chatham's parks and recreation, Daniel Tobin, said to the Boston Herald that there are no plans to close any beaches.
'We're aware that there are sharks off the waters of Chatham and we're keeping an eye on things,' said Tobin.
'We're still evaluating the situation; we haven't closed any beaches and we don't expect to imminently unless more data proves it prudent.'
The sharks were spotted exactly at North Beach Island, which is part of the Nauset Beach chain and not far from where the Jaws movies were shot, on the picturesque island of Martha's Vineyard.
Cape Cod Shark Hunters provide an invaluable service to researchers as to the whereabouts of great white sharks especially during the busy summer vacation season
Tagging sharks and great white since 2009, the Cape Cod Shark Hunters work closely with the state Division of Marine Fisheries.
'Not only is he helpful for us in terms of telling us where and when he sees sharks so we can use that information to go ahead and implement our research program and tag the sharks,' said Greg Skomal, the state’s top shark researcher.
'We also share the information with the harbor master, and he then uses it as he sees fit to make decisions about beach management.'
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