It’s official – sharks have been spotted in Cape Cod waters.
Researchers reported the first Cape & Island shark activity of the season in May, when a seal with white shark bite marks washed ashore on Martha’s Vineyard. Now sightings of the sharks themselves are rolling in. The Sharktivity app shows that there have been several shark sightings in Massachusetts in the past week, all of them great white sharks.
John Chisholm, an adjunct scientist in the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, who examined photos of the seal found on Lucy Vincent Beach in Chilmark, Martha’s Vineyard, at the time stated that “the bite wound was consistent with that of a white shark,” according to the aquarium.
Fishermen on Nantucket recently caught, then released a great white shark. Experts say the beginning of shark season in Massachusetts has arrived.
Here’s what to know about the reported shark sightings since June 2.
How many sharks have been seen since last week?
There were eight shark sightings, plus one “unconfirmed sighting,” last week, according to the Sharktivity app.
According to the Sharktivity app, they include:
June 2, 2026, 4:37 p.m. – A white shark was seen off the coast of New Bedford.
June 3, 2026, 9 a.m. – A white shark was seen one mile “south of Chatham South cut, eating a seal.”
June 3, 2026, 10 a.m. – A white shark was “videoed by a fisherman.”
June 3, 2026, 1 p.m. – “Unconfirmed” sighting of white shark.
June 5, 2026, 10:26 p.m. – “Fisherman had white shark try to take striper.”
June 6, 2026, 9:55 a.m. – An eight-foot great white was “spotted by fishermen,” and then the shark “breached near boat.”
June 6, 2026, 1:56 p.m. – A juvenile great white was seen off the coast of New Bedford.
June 7, 2026, 11:16 a.m. – A white shark “took striper and umbrella rig.”
June 7, 2026, 4 p.m. – A white shark was “caught and released by fishermen” on Nantucket.
June 7, 2026 – White shark “breached chasing a bass” off Martha’s Vineyard
June 8, 2026 – Juvenile white shark seen off Dennis/Yarmouth coast, to the south
In this file photo, spectators waded out waist deep in the waters of Scusset Beach for a close view of a 12-foot basking shark which spend most of the day feeding in shallow waters just off the bathing beach. Basking sharks are filter feeders and don’t pose a bite risk to humans. It is not recommended to try this with a white shark.
When did great whites show up in Massachusetts last year?
This is right on time for sharks to be returning to Massachusetts waters. Last year, the first shark of the season was spotted on May 11 at the western end of Nantucket.
A witness noticed a pool of blood (coming from a seal) off Smith’s Point in Madaket, Nantucket, that day, according to a release from the aquarium.
“This is just the beginning of white shark season in New England, and it serves as a good reminder to be mindful of the presence of these sharks in inshore waters,” Chisholm said at the time. “Their numbers will continue to increase throughout the summer with peak activity occurring in the fall.”
What steps should people take to be safe with sharks returning?
Chisholm said people should be “aware of sharks’ presence in shallow waters, avoiding areas where seals are present or schools of fish are visible, and staying close to shore where emergency responders can reach you if needed.”
How many types of sharks are in Massachusetts waters?
Ryan Knotek, an associate research scientist with the New England Aquarium told the USA Today Network in 2023 there are at least 23 species of sharks that call New England waters home or that pass through the region.
Those include hammerheads, basking sharks, blue sharks, shortfin makos, porbeagle sharks, sand tiger sharks and others.
Where can people report, keep track of shark sightings?
The aquarium noted in a report that 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 to raise awareness and help people and sharks co-exist,” according to the aquarium.
This article originally appeared on wickedlocal.com: Where great white sharks have been spotted around Cape Cod in June