Shark Researchers Have a Record Tagging Day off Cape Cod

COURTESY: ATLANTIC WHITE SHARK CONSERVANCY

COURTESY: ATLANTIC WHITE SHARK CONSERVANCY

CHATHAM – The shark-tagging season remains active off Cape Cod as researchers continue spotting great whites close to shore.

State shark expert Dr. Greg Skomal says they tagged four sharks on Monday, a record for one day.

Skomal is working with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy again this year to tag and research the burgeoning white shark population that now spends much of the summer off Monomoy and the rest of the Outer Cape.

On a typical day out on the water for the researchers, spotter pilot Wayne Davis heads out first and scans the area from the tip of Monomoy to the Nauset Inlet.

Then the researchers head out, going up and down the coast from Monomoy to Orleans, looking for seal activity and recording what they see: how many seals are hauled out along the shore, for example.

When Davis spots a great white shark, he direct the boat to the shark. The crew then works to get underwater footage of both sides of the shark using the Go-Pro cameras, recording the animal’s markings.

Once Skomal believes he has enough footage to be able to identify the shark, he brings out the tagging pole to try to tag the shark.

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