Overview

• Massachusetts officials reported more than a dozen great white sightings off Cape Cod this weekend, calling it peak season for vigilance.
• MassWildlife’s Greg Skomal says the traditional July surge has faded, with peak presence now from late August through October and quicker migration into the Gulf of Maine and Canada.
• This summer brought fewer dense sightings on Cape Cod and a noticeable uptick along the Maine coast, where state biologists describe a healthy, recovering population.
• Scientists cite increased seal numbers and rising ocean temperatures as likely factors influencing the later timing and faster northward movements.
• Long-term tagging underpins the findings, with nearly 400 sharks tagged to date and 16 smaller sharks tagged this year in Cape Cod Bay, while Maine expands monitoring despite challenging coastlines and reports fewer Cape Cod beach closures than last year.