9 Great White Shark Sightings on Cape Cod Since Sunday

CHATHAM, MA — Everyone on Cape Cod is going to need a bigger boat, apparently. Since Sunday, there have been at least nine great white shark sightings on the Cape's eastern edge, from Eastham in the north down to Monomoy Island south of Chatham.

The sightings were recorded on the Sharktivity tracking app developed by the nonprofit Atlantic White Shark Conservancy and state and local officials. On Monday, conservancy researchers captured a great white eating a seal off Monomoy Island.

It's been another active summer of great white shark sightings on the Cape. Last week, Truro beaches were closed after six great white sharks were seen feeding on a dead seal close to shore. There have been more than a dozen more shark sightings; a 6-year-old boy even hooked a great white in Cape Cod Bay (The shark was cut free.).

Truro is the site of the last great white attack on a human in Cape Cod. On July 30, 2012, a great white bit a man on the leg. He survived.

The last close encounter in the region was September 2014, when a great white chomped a kayak with two women aboard off the coast of Plymouth. They were not hurt. The sharks might have mistook the kayak for a seal, which they prey on.

In 1916, a shark killed four people and seriously injured a fifth off the New Jersey coast — providing the inspiration for “Jaws,” which was filmed on Martha's Vineyard. In the movie, Roy Scheider's character — upon seeing the great white — declares to the boat captain, "You're gonna need a bigger boat."

Great White Sharks on Cape Cod 2016

• Great White Shark Eats Seal Near Chatham Beach
• 6 Great White Sharks Force Cape Cod Beach Closures
• App Alerts Boaters to Great White Shark on Cape Cod
• Great White Shark Returns to Cape Cod After Dramatic Rescue
• Boy Catches Great White Shark in Cape Cod Bay
• 3 Great Whites Spotted on Eastern Edge of Cape Cod

Top photo: A screenshot of the Sharktivity app taken Tuesday. (Credit: Atlantic White Shark Conservancy)