App to Provide Verified Sightings of Sharks off New England

App to Provide Verified Sightings of Sharks off New England

By PATRICK WHITTLE

Source: Associated Press

5/18/2022

Credit: AP Photo/Charles Krupa

Shark's in the water. But is it near swimmers? Soon, New England beachgoers will know.

An aquarium and environmental organization are working together to collect better data about shark sightings and help keep people informed of when the animals are nearby. Representatives with the New England Aquarium in Boston and Chatham, Massachusetts-based Atlantic White Shark Conservancy said Wednesday their expansion of the conservancy's “Sharktivity” smartphone app will help protect both the humans and the sharks.

The conservancy has used the app since 2016 to collect information from the public about the presence of sharks off Massachusetts. Increased shark sightings off Cape Cod have been a source of discussion in recent years, and there have been two fatal shark bites off New England since 2018.

Now, the conservancy is contracting with the aquarium to employ a shark expert to verify shark sighting reports that arrive via Sharktivity. Verified sightings will appear as an icon on the app, said Cynthia Wigren, chief executive officer and co-founder of the conservancy.