Marshfield harbormaster concerned over location, frequency of shark sightings

MARSHFIELD, Mass. — As white shark season swings into high gear, concern  is growing that they're moving on up the coastline to the South Shore.

Around 22 shark sightings have been reported along all of the Cape Cod coast and bay through the Sharktivity app in just the last week.

Marshfield Harbormaster Mike DiMeo spent Tuesday afternoon searching for sharks, just a day after one was spotted off the coast of near Plymouth.

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“It’s very alarming,” DiMeo said flatly.

Marshfield has five shark buoys that ping whenever a tagged shark comes within two hundred feet of them. DiMeo also tracks the seal numbers and says they've seen more around Marshfield this summer than ever before.

Just last week, fifteen were spotted right off shore.

“It’s obvious that there are a lot more here this year,” DiMeo said.

All Plymouth beaches closed for a few hours Monday after Patrick Vardaro and his friend spotted one about a mile and a half offshore.

My friend Nick and I were out striper fishing and he spotted a fin in the water,” Vardaro told Boston 25 News. "It’s thrilling. It was a lot of fun. We were both very excited after a day getting skunked fishing."

But DiMeo and other harbormasters along the South Shore say they're anything but excited by the thought of sharks lurking right off their beaches.

“It’s just a matter of time before the seals move up to our waters," he said. "It doesn’t mean there are actually great whites there, but they follow the food source. So it’s not if, but when."

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