Overview
- New England Aquarium officials confirmed at least two 13- to 14-foot male thresher sharks stranded and died in Cape Cod Bay in the past week.
- The sharks were found at Mayo Beach in Wellfleet on Tuesday and at Campground Beach in Eastham on Saturday.
- Researchers conducted a necropsy on the Eastham shark and collected samples for analysis with guidance from NOAA Fisheries.
- Scientists point to Cape Cod’s hook-like geography and December waters near 40 degrees, which can trap migrating sharks that strand as tides recede.
- Rescuers say survival chances are low because sharks must remain in water to breathe, the public is urged to report sightings, more strandings are possible in coming weeks, and threshers primarily eat fish and are not considered a danger to people.