Chatham to consider adding nets to keep sharks, seals out of local beach

Nearly two months after a Revere man died in a shark attack at a Wellfleet Beach, the town of Chatham has begun to take action in an attempt to curtail future shark sightings at one of its most popular beaches, Oyster Pond Beach.

Related: After shark attacks, Cape residents push for better beach safety regulations

Selectmen for the town recently endorsed a proposal to consider netting and other barriers in order to prevent sharks – and their main prey, seals – out of the waters at Oyster Pond, according to a report from capecod.com. If implemented, the installation could occur as early as next summer.

Oyster Pond is located just down the road from Chatham’s town center. And while the beach is technically inland, the ‘pond’ is fed, through Stage Harbor, from the Atlantic Ocean south of Cape Cod.

MORE: Complete guide to shark season in New England

This summer, there were two shark attacks in Cape waters, including the September 15th attack off Newcomb Hollow Beach that resulted in the death of 26-year-old Arthur Medici. The fatality was the first caused by a shark attack in Massachusetts since 1936.

The September attack came just one month after a 61-year old New York native sustained wounds to his hip and torso after being bitten by a great white just offshore of Truro's Longnook Beach. That attack occurred on August 15.

In the month of July, 149 great whites were spotted in Cape waters – more than double that of July 2017.

Related: LIVE BLOG: Shark sightings, encounters in and around Massachusetts

Related: A change in the waters? Cape Cod leaders split on shark problem

Cox Media Group