CHATHAM — Swimming has been prohibited at all Chatham oceanside beaches for the remainder of Labor Day weekend because of several great white sharks spotted off Monomoy Island, Harbor Master Stuart Smith said yesterday.
Gregory Skomal, a senior biologist and shark expert with the state Division of Marine Fisheries, said he spotted four great white sharks off Chatham's coast yesterday. That prompted beach officials at North Beach, Lighthouse Beach, South Beach and Hardings Beach in Chatham and Nauset Beach in Orleans to raise the red "no swimming" signs, much to the disappointment of beachgoers trying to enjoy the last big weekend of summer.
But from a scientific standpoint, Skomal said it was a blockbuster day.
Skomal and his crew managed to place electronic tags on two of the great white sharks, which he said were 8 and 10 feet long.
Using the tags' satellite-based technology, Skomal said researchers will be better able to understand the sharks' migratory patterns.
"From a scientific perspective, it's fantastic," Skomal said while still walking around in his fishing boots yesterday in Chatham. "We're pretty excited to be putting together the pieces of the puzzle."
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