Truro Beach Sticker - The 2013 Smiling Shark Is 'Out'

I don't know how I missed it, but the 2013 beach sticker for Truro raised a lot of eyebrows. The sticker's smiling shark poked fun at what was a very serious problem in the 2012, where Truro was the site of a very rare shark attack.

To move forward from the controversy, the Town is having a contest to design the 2014 sticker. Rules for the contest can be found on the Town of Truro's website. A detailed story appeared in the Cape Cod Times - check it out Here. I think it's interesting that the contest ends on April fools' day.

2013 Shark Week - Spoof Video - Fun!

I'd like to apologize in advance for this video. But, it mirrors what we've been saying about seals and sharks.  Enjoy!

Great White Sharks Returning to Cape Cod

WCVB TV (Channel 5) showed a great video report on the prospect of larger numbers of sharks this summer, based on the fact that there seems to be a larger number of Grey seals on the Chatham beaches. Additionally, the video discusses the increased shark awareness at the Atlantic facing beaches to keep swimmers safe.

Check out the video on great white sharks returning to Cape Cod in larger numbers - WCVB 

Tracking Sharks - Online!

Over the last several years we've learned that the sharks that entertain us in the summer spend their winters off the Florida coast. We've also seen that they are being tagged with GPS transponders so they can be tracked. Well, now we can follow along via the OCEARCH Global Shark Tracker, where you can observe the navigational pattern of sharks that have been tagged with this satellite tracking technology. If you go to this link from your smartphone, you can install a 'web-app' that'll allow you to track the sharks from anywhere.
OCEARCH facilitates unprecedented research by supporting leading researchers and institutions seeking to attain important data on the biology and health of sharks, in conjunction with basic research on shark life history and migration.

These last few weeks I've been watching a 3500 pound shark, named Mary Lee, that was originally caught and tagged last September off Chatham. This shark subsequently traveled to Jacksonville, Florida, then north to Nantucket, and now on her way to Bermuda.

My March 2013 Newsletter Is Available Now!

My March 2013 report is available now! This issue of my newsletter has my 2012 year-end market report for Eastham's neighboring towns. Additionally, you'll see a story about tracking the sharks tagged off Chatham's coast.

This newsletter has been published every month for 10 years. My goal, with my newsletter, is to provide accurate sales and market information about the Eastham housing marketplace, to add commentary and opinion (as appropriate), and to keep it interesting. Download your copy of my March newsletter now.

Cape Cod Shark Hunters

With sharks being seen along the Outer Cape's shores, in Chatham, Orleans, and Eastham, there is a team of researchers that has been very busy. They are the Cape Cod Shark Hunters. The Shark Hunters have been spotting sharks from the air, trailing them in the water, and tagging them with tracking devices.

The Shark Hunters have a website, at www.CapeCodSharkHunters.com, where they have recent photos, a few videos, and info on the team and their techniques. Check it out!

Sharks at Eastham's Nauset Light Beach - Video

It's becoming the news of the summer on the Outer Cape. Friday there was a sighting at Nauset Light Beach in Eastham that cleared the water for about 4 hours. Check out the video from Boston's Channel 7 (WHDH).



Seals in Truro - Shark Lunch?

The is a spot in North Truro, about a half hour walk from the High-Head parking lot on Truro's ocean beach, where a large group of seals gather that is a sight to see. The seals, by the hundreds, enjoy the sun on a sand bar that emerges at low tide. The Cape Cod Times traveled there to capture the seals in a video...check it out. Where there are seals, there's likely to be sharks.

   

Sharks at Nauset Beach in Orleans

Swimmers were forced out of the water today at Nauset Beach, in Orleans, after a 12-14 foot shark was seen just a 100 yards or so off the beach. Sharks aren't looking for swimmers, of course, but have been known to attack humans while hunting for seals. Seals, on the other hand, have become plentiful these last few years in the Orleans, Chatham area.

Check out this news video from earlier today.

Tracking the Sharks of Bermuda and Cape Cod

Last year we learned that the sharks that join Cape Cod's many seals (they have lunch together) travel to warmer weather during the winter months. Scientists have continued, and expanded, their shark tracking to now include tiger, mako, and blue sharks and have discovered more about the travels of sharks in the North Atlantic.

Dr. Brad Weatherbee, of the Bermuda Shark Project, shared his studies at the Wellfleet Audibon Wildlife Sanctuary and summarized in the Cape Codder article (click this link).

Sharks In Cape Cod Bay - Oh My!

Sharks are a part of summer on Cape Cod. They seem to follow the seals as they move about. This year we've seen seals in the bay. So, we have sharks here also. Check out this video, shown on NECN earlier today, taken by a local fisherman late last week. Oh My!

A Busy Shark Season On Cape Cod

Over the last couple of years a few of our visiting sharks have had the 'opportunity' to be tagged with GPS tags so they could be tracked by marine scientists. These scientists now have a fair idea how these sharks migrate north and south, seasonally. They predict that this year is likely to be a very busy shark year, particularly near where the seals live and play.

Check out the article (and video) in the Cape Codder.

More Seals Equals More Sharks - Surprise!

Way back when - there was bounties on seals. The bounties are gone, they ended in 1962. The Marine Mammal Protection Act, entered into law in 1972 included seals even though they were not endangered. That was 38 years ago (check my math here).  Since then we've had a fairly steady increase in the number of seals.

Seals eat a lot of fish. And, they hang out together in large bunches.  Currently they hang out on Monomoy Island, Chatham's outer beaches, the Nauset inlet near Orleans' Nauset Beach, and up in Truro, near the P-Town line. Not surprisingly, these locations are where great white sharks have been spotted. I've simplified the situation, but you can read the whole article on the Cape Codder's website.... Here.

Sharks - Chatham Beaches Closed Indefinately

Chatham beaches are closed indefinitely after numerous shark sightings this past week. Sharks were sighted just a short distance from swimmers. Lately, harbor seals have congregated on several of Chatham's sand bars - and these seals are the preferred snack food for the sharks. Officials can't say when this popular five-mile stretch of beach will reopen.  Check out this great video from the Weather Channel.

Blue Means Shark!

The National Seashore uses a set of flags to inform (warn?) folks of the condition of the swimming beaches on the Cape. It's a fairly simple set, with the current condition flag posted for all to see on the head lifeguard's chair. The blue flag is for 'Dangerous Marine Life', which includes sharks.

Far, far, more dangerous to swimmers are rip currents. These would be red-flagged. Also, note that there is a beach closed flag, red with a swimmer X'ed out.  We saw this flag last summer after a hurricane missed the Cape, but the waves came on-shore for a few days.

Click on the image (right) to see the flags.

Chatham's 2009 Sharks Are Snowbirds

Remember last summer's shark scare? Several great whites were hovering off Chatham's beaches, probably in response to the increasing numbers of Grey seals. Part of last summer's drama were the shark hunters who successfully tagged five of the sharks with electronic monitors, so they could track where the sharks went when the waters got chilly, and the seals went elsewhere.

We now know the answer for two of the sharks. They went south, over 1000 miles, to Florida. Watch the video and read the story on Boston.com.

Sharks Boosting Cape Tourism

Sharks have appeared at a good time off the coast of Chatham. Summer's winding down, but the prospect of seeing a shark off Chatham (or Orleans, Eastham, or Wellfleet) has kept the beaches busy with sightseers. There aren't many swimmers, however. The Cape Cod Times ran an extensive story about the sharks and their diet of seals ... Here. The article points out that large numbers of seals, and their predators, have the potential to alter the habits of many vacation goers and effect local businesses.

Great White Sharks in Chatham

The ocean beaches in Chatham & Orleans were closed today due to the sighting of sharks off the beach. Sharks love seals, and wherever seals congregate, sharks will eventually be close by. Today there were sightings of sharks, at least 3 Great White sharks, off Chatham's Lighthouse Beach and Nauset Beach in Orleans, necessitating the beach closures. In fact, two of the sharks were tagged by a state marine biologist, which will allow them to track the movement of these sharks. Go to the article in the Cape Cod Online to read more about these sightings. Also, check out the following video, also shot by the Cape Cod Times Online...