Photo: AFP/Getty Images
PROVINCETOWN, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) – A temporary no-swim order has been issued on Race Point Beach in Provincetown following a great white shark sighting late Saturday morning.
The shark, named James, was detected on a receiver off North Beach in Chatham last week by the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. James was originally tagged in 2014 and has returned to the Cape every year since.
Cape Cod National Seashore Lifeguards ordered beachgoers to stay away from the waters and participate in beach-only activities for at least an hour following the sighting. This sighting is one of the first the season.
At least three other great whites have been spotted off Cape Cod in the past week according to the Sharktivity app.
Two were seen off Monomoy Island and the other off Provincetown. Even a dead seal washed up on a Chatham beach Friday that appeared to have been fed on by a shark.
Shark biologist John Chisolm advised the public that sharks are back on the MA Sharks Twitter account. Chisolm also tweeted about the alert he got for the sighting on Race Point Beach Saturday.
The Sharktivity app was developed to raise awareness of the presence of white sharks off the eastern coast. According to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, the app sightings are fed by researchers, safety officials and users who upload photos for confirmation.
The organization’s overall goal with the app is to help facilitate a peaceful coexistence between humans and white sharks.
More information about the app can be found here.
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