Great white sharks have been active in east coast waters this summer. This week a shark was detected off the shore of Salisbury Massachusetts near the New Hampshire border.
To help protect beach-goers, scientists have developed an App called “Sharktivity.” “Sharktivity” can notify you if any tagged sharks have been detected on receivers across the east coast. You can also use the app to report a shark, if you’ve seen one.
Cynthia Wigren is Executive Director of Atlantic White Shark Conservancy in Massachusetts. She helped develop the app that was released this month. She says the intention of the app isn’t to scare anyone, but to let people know “that this is a large, apex predator that is around, and maybe you should not swim far offshore, or make sure you’re staying in groups.”
The shark count so far this summer is up from last year. Whether that high number sustains through the season is still to be determined.
And as Wigren says, as long as you're informed, there's no reason you should not still enjoy the beach.
