A male in his 20's passed away today from a shark attack in Wellfleet.

God have mercy.

Will this have an impact on the economy? after the attack last month, we cancelled our camping reservations for 2019, I won't let my kids near that water anytime soon. Going to the Jersey shore instead. I love the Cape, absolutely love it, but my kids want to body surf, and they aren't doing it on Cape Cod.

SAD , But WTF . G/W ,s around *& you go in the water >>>>>>get rid of the seals . the water cleans up & the envirement does also …….. the Whites will drop off & also go back to staying deep ………. :fishin::soon:

Unbelievable. No, akshually, completely believable, expected even. Sad.

you tend to look like shark food from below paddling along on a short board

Sad indeed but what clammer said. Been expecting this for a long time.

Terrible the young man lost his life for sure. I have gone in that water before at Newcombs Hollow but these days I would never be 300 yards off the beach, not even 30 feet. Like they say, once you go in the water you are now shark food.
Seals are dying off a lot this year and that seems like a sign of over population to me. No need to have their population out of control with them destroying the local fishing like wiping out flounder etc.
Last shark mortality in Mass was 1936. I guess it was inevitable:(
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Start culling the seals, or unfortunately more headlines like this are inevitable ...

You know the saying "find the bait, you find the fish?"

Well the seals are the bait and they consistently there...

Exactly why I stopped wet suiting, a chubby guy in a wet suit looks like a wounded seal. These feet stay on land!

Vacation last week in truro and wanted to see a shark so bad! I love this area and its wild beauty and memories will always keep me coming back despite the fact the fishing is no where near what it used to be. Anyway....I am deeply saddened by the tragedy that happened yet I agree with clammer..at this point if you enter the water from chatham to ptown you have to do it with the "acceptable risk" mentality or you just are not paying attention to the news.....either way a tragedy but in no way am I surprised that it happened. I fished a sandbar off high head knee deep last week for about 15 minutes and the whole time I wanted to go further but my gut told me "no effing way, you're already too deep as it is" the whole time!

P.S. With that being said ther is a reported sighting at high head yesterday! again not surprising considering the sandbar oasis thats there for them right now :( Bring back the bounty!

I gotta think that this fall’s increase in sightings, attacks and now a death might result in a different conversation about seals next year.

Or one summer with less than stellar vacationer #s on the outer cape might change things as well?

Gotta find the right incentive for everyone to get on the same page and make sensible decisions which maintain the wild natural wonder of the outer cape but keep people somewhat safe.

I certainly would appreciate the cleaner water and more abundant ground fish population brought on by a million fewer seals...
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how to #^&#^&#^&#^& up a beauitiful place for the sake of money …...this should have been taken care of years ago instead of the shops starting to carry / blowup sharks / & shark this & that ………. But wait RI … will declare the seal the STATE MAMAL :kewl::bl:

I believe The general public is too out of touch with the seal = great white connection... They are clueless that the sharks are there because of the seals.... and Most people take pictures of the seals and think they are cute because one waved at them at sea world once.

A campaign just first be made to shine a light on the detrimental affects of an out of control seal population so people understand one thing... SEALS = BAD FOR CAPE COD.
Then you will have support instead of push back.

The blame for this shark attack ultimately lies with the seals

Wish they would all head back to the Catskills . That place needs tourism badly . That's why it was so much better years ago when the Catskills was the hopping spot for many . Less people on the Cape . The seals have been and always will be the problem until they do something about them . Like was said you have to point out the ecological problems seals cause and health issues related to being in the same waters as seals . Like feces , bacteria and sharks attacks .

Wish they would all head back to the Catskills . That place needs tourism badly . That's why it was so much better years ago when the Catskills was the hopping spot for many . Less people on the Cape . The seals have been and always will be the problem until they do something about them . Like was said you have to point out the ecological problems seals cause and health issues related to being in the same waters as seals . Like feces , bacteria and sharks attacks .

Those poor trout wouldn’t stand a chance!
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I believe The general public is too out of touch with the seal = great white connection... They are clueless that the sharks are there because of the seals.... and Most people take pictures of the seals and think they are cute because one waved at them at sea world once.

A campaign just first be made to shine a light on the detrimental affects of an out of control seal population so people understand one thing... SEALS = BAD FOR CAPE COD.
Then you will have support instead of push back.

The blame for this shark attack ultimately lies with the seals

I think just the opposite, that the public is so pro seal they'll be fine with it regardless the problems that arise. They sure AF don't care about anglers.

As fishers we understand who goes where on the food chain. The general public won't care and 95% of them don't go to the back beaches anyway so there is not risk for them.

Very True john... I revise my statement because I agree... the public loves seals
and would never agree to culling the population.

All the way from the U.K.: [URL="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6220667/Concerned-Cape-Cod-beachgoers-demand-officials-reduce-seal-population-following-fatal-shark-attack.html"[/URL]


'They're eating our children': Hundreds of furious Cape Cod beachgoers demand officials kill off seals to help cut down shark attacks after 26-year-old man is killed
Cape Cod residents want officials to reduce the seal population because they think the animals are attracting great white sharks
There are a reported 30,000 to 50,000 seals living in the waters of Southern Massachusetts, primarily in and around Cape Cod
Locals made the suggestion during a public forum on Thursday two weeks after a 26-year-old man was killed in a shark attack
Arthur Medici was killed on September 15 after he was bitten by a great white shark just off Newcomb Hollow Beach
keep people safe from sharks.

One by one residents tossed out a number of suggestions on how to deter sharks, including demanding officials to look into reducing the growing seal population on Cape Cod beaches. Many believe increased numbers of seals are attracting sharks hunting for food.

'The seal population on the Cape is way of our control. They're eating all of our fish and now they're eating all of our children,' said resident Gail Sluis of Brewster.

No sharks or seals are worth a young man's life — they're just not,' she added.

According to a 2017 report by Cape Cod Times, there are 30,000 to 50,000 seals living in the waters of Southern Massachusetts, primarily on and around Cape Code.

City officials acknowledged the seal population has grown tremendously but told locals at the forum that there are federal laws preventing the removal of seals.

'I can understand the passion for wanting to remove seals and white sharks,' said David Pierce, director of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, '(But) it's likely never going to happen, despite the fact that there's been a death.'

Town Administrator Dan Hoort added that it would take an act of Congress.

'There isn't any solution but effective deterrence,' Hoort said, according to the Boston Herald.

Do we know if it was a great white?

under the radar campaign... doesnt need to be televised

The seal population on the Cape is way of our control. They're eating all of our fish and now they're eating all of our children,' said resident Gail Sluis of Brewster.

Hyperbole doesn't help her case. First fatal attack in 80 years in Massachusetts. Something like 9 non-shark related drownings on the Cape this year alone. You go in the ocean, you take a risk. You put on a wet suit and fins and go 30 yards out and float among the seals, the risk certainly goes up. You drive down rte 3 from Boston then out to Wellfleet on a summer day, you really take a risk.

All the way from the U.K.: [URL="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6220667/Concerned-Cape-Cod-beachgoers-demand-officials-reduce-seal-population-following-fatal-shark-attack.html"[/URL]

There isn't any solution but effective deterrence,' Hoort said, according to the Boston Herald.

"Effective deterrence" is the key phrase - time to start experimenting with what is needed or could be done to keep colonies from taking over certain locations. Something that is non-lethal that will encourage them relocate. I'm sure local communities/state reps can petition for this.

My suggestion is for noise - similar to what farmers use to keep geese out of their fields.

I believe The general public is too out of touch with the seal = great white connection... They are clueless that the sharks are there because of the seals.... and Most people take pictures of the seals and think they are cute because one waved at them at sea world once.

A campaign just first be made to shine a light on the detrimental affects of an out of control seal population so people understand one thing... SEALS = BAD FOR CAPE COD.
Then you will have support instead of push back.

The blame for this shark attack ultimately lies with the seals

EXACTLY!!!!!!! Well said and great spot on post.