For the First Time Ever, a Great White Shark is Being Tracked in This Coastal Region
When we think of beach days, we think of relaxing on the sand, a glass of something refreshing in our hand (maybe with these cool wine glasses), and the kiddos playing in the waves.
What we don’t want to think of is a scene from the movie “Jaws.” This movie took place in a fictional town called Amity. In case you don’t already know, the plot involves a shark wreaking havoc on the coastal town. The story is completely made up, but it probably contributes largely to why some people are scared of sharks.
Amity is supposed to be a town in Long Island, New York. The Long Island Sound is a stretch of water between the coast of Long Island, New York, and Connecticut. There has never been a great white shark spotted in this water before…now.
On Monday May 20, 2019, a great white shark named Cabot was spotted off the coast of Connecticut in the Long Island Sound. Cabot was tagged by OCEARCH in Nova Scotia in October, 2018, and they’ve been able to track his path ever since. He weighs 533 pounds and is 9’8” long.
On Monday, Cabot’s tag pinged in the sound, surprising everyone. OCEARCH announced Cabot’s arrival via posts on Twitter.
I heard sending a ping from the Long Island Sound had never been done before by a white shark…so naturally I had to visit and send one off. Hello Greenwich how are you today?! pic.twitter.com/ijO9NpdiNr
— Great White Shark Cabot (@GWSharkCabot) May 20, 2019
In an interview with WFSB Channel 3, Chris Fischer from OCEARCH said,
This is something to celebrate. I know they’ve been working hard in the sound to clean it up and to get life to come back to the region and when you have an apex predator like Cabot move in to the area that’s a sign there’s a lot of life in the area and you’ve probably got things moving in the right direction.
If sharks make you nervous and if you were planning on heading to the beach near the sound, it may be hard to think of this as good news, but remember sharks don’t want to eat humans. They like to eat fish, sea lions and seals.
If you would like to track Cabot’s path, you can do so here.
Are you scared of sharks? Does it surprise you that a great white shark was spotted in the Long Island Sound? What would you do if you saw a shark in the water?
