By K.C. MYERS
kcmyers@capecodonline.com
September 04, 2009CHATHAM — The town is on high alert after five large sharks, possibly great whites, were spotted trolling the waters close to Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge yesterday afternoon.
Town and state officials have issued warnings to the public urging people to avoid swimming where seals congregate. Town officials are expected to decide today whether further measures, such as beach closures, are necessary, said Lisa Capone, press secretary for the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
The large sharks were spotted just off shore at Monomoy Island, a National Wildlife Refuge where thousands of seals sun and swim daily.
The sharks were seen in the afternoon more than one mile from Lighthouse Beach, the nearest swimming beach, Capone said.
Chatham Harbor Master Stuart Smith gave a slightly different location for the shark sighting. He said the animals were just off Monomoy's point, where Nantucket Sound meets the Atlantic Ocean.
State Division of Marine Fisheries shark expert Greg Skomal flew over the area yesterday afternoon and confirmed large sharks were in the water. But he needs to go back by boat today to identify the species, Capone said.
"I think they are leaning toward a white type of shark," Smith said of Division of Marine Fisheries officials.
Though the presence of large predatory sharks doesn't come as much of a surprise to anyone familiar with the area, town officials were concerned enough to hold a meeting and write up a "Notice of Public Interest," Smith said. The advisory warns people that the ocean is the domain of sharks and seals, and swimmers need to be aware, Smith said.
"Chatham is now a year-round home to a few thousand seals," the town's notice states. "Please note, however, that the ocean waters near Chatham are also home to large sharks, and seals are a staple part of their diet.
"Therefore, it is not surprising that there have been recent confirmed reports of sharks feeding on seals in the vicinity of Chatham's ocean beaches," the advisory continues. "As recently as Friday, August 28, 2009, the carcass of a seal was confirmed to have been partially eaten by a large shark."
It is rare for a shark to attack a human. The last documented human death in a Massachusetts shark attack was in 1936, Tony LaCasse, spokesman for the New England Aquarium, told the Cape Cod Times last year.
But the town advised swimmers to stay away from areas with seals to avoid trouble with sharks and the marine mammals.
Smith said seals are dirty and disease ridden. They outweigh most humans and they bite, he added. "This has been going on for years now," he said.
Just two weeks ago, a pair of kayakers reported seeing a shark attack a seal near Monomoy. Last year, a seal cruise captain watched a seal meet the same fate.
While sharks certainly have been spotted, beach closings even under these circumstances are rare, Smith said.
Seals began gathering at Monomoy about 12 years ago, Smith said. Their growing presence has caused some fishermen to worry that the seals' fish appetite is taking a bite out of their livelihood. Others worry that the seals are attracting more sharks.
"My greatest concern is the seal population," said David McCourbrey, a recreational fisherman and Marstons Mills resident. "It's a protected species and it's great to protect a species, but I'm not sure if we always think of all the repercussions. ... I just think this will be more and more of a problem, and someday something is going to happen."
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