Shark season in Massachusetts has arrived.

Researchers conducting field work spotted “at least” nine sharks in Cape Cod Bay on Monday, according to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.

The great whites ranged in size from about 8 to 11 feet long, according to the conservancy.

“The majority of sharks at least two miles off the coast of Wellfleet,” researchers said.

One of the great whites, named Ashley Grace, had been previously tagged.

According to Sharktivity, the conservancy’s free app that provides information on white shark sightings and movements, one of the ocean predators was also spotted off Monomoy Island on Monday.


The Boston Globe reports the 13-foot shark was seen chomping on a seal.

“They’re always down there,” Chatham Harbormaster Jim Horne told the newspaper. “Wherever the seals are that’s where the sharks are.”

The conservancy shared a photo of a seal carcass with “bite wounds” seen floating near the island on Saturday.

“This time of year, white sharks are moving back into the area,” the researchers said. “Activity picks up in July and peaks Aug – October.”

To prepare for the 2019 season, officials in several towns along the Cape took measures to improve public safety on beaches, including the installation of emergency call boxes and trauma kits, following the two shark attacks in 2018.