A pair of great white sharks were recently spotted feasting on a dead humpback whale that was floating in Cape Cod Bay off the South Shore.
Those on the Elizabeth Marie charter boat got a front-row seat to the apex predators going to town on the dead whale off Scituate, including an estimated 16-foot white shark snacking on the carcass.
“We got to see something I have never seen before,” posted EM Fishing out of Scituate. “2 great white sharks feeding on a dead humpback!”
The U.S. Coast Guard on Friday had been alerted of a dead humpback whale floating off the South Shore. Researchers identified the whale as Lollipop, a mature female that was last seen in good apparent health on June 1.
Whale and Dolphin Conservation and Center for Coastal Studies responded to the scene to investigate the whale’s death.
“No entangling material was found on the whale,” NOAA Fisheries New England/Mid-Atlantic posted. “After documentation, they successfully attached a large satellite tracking tag to the whale. This will allow us to monitor the whale’s location.
“After assessing the logistics of a tow and the inability to find an appropriate landing site, NOAA Fisheries has determined that the whale will be left floating,” NOAA Fisheries added.
Massachusetts Environmental Police and the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy also provided support for the incident in Cape Cod Bay.
Since the start of 2016, NOAA Fisheries has reported a higher number of humpback whale deaths along the Atlantic coast from Maine through Florida. There have been 44 dead humpback whales reported off Massachusetts since 2016.
Overall, of all the dead Atlantic whales examined, about 40% had evidence of human interaction — either a ship strike or entanglement.
“Maintain a safe distance from all marine mammals, especially entangled large whales who may act unpredictably,” NOAA Fisheries posted. “Immediately report all stranded or entangled marine mammals to NOAA’s marine mammal and sea turtle stranding hotline at (866) 755-6622 to be directed to a trained responder.”
Meanwhile over the weekend, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s Sharktivity app lit up with shark alerts as great whites were seen close to shore.
It was an especially busy Sunday off of Chatham, where the apex predators regularly hunt for seals.
“!! SHARK ALERT !! White shark spotted 59 yds off North Beach Island!” posted MA Sharks, which is run by shark biologist John Chisholm.
Shark alerts are issued when a white shark sighting is confirmed close to a public beach. A notification goes out with each alert.
