This tool maps great white shark sightings in Massachusetts
Photo by Marcelo Cidrack on Unsplash

Great white sharks are spotted in the northern Atlantic fairly often in the summer. In Massachusetts, and especially the Cape Cod area, there are sightings every year. To keep an eye on these predators, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC) teamed up with a few partners on the Sharktivity map, which tracks great white shark sightings in Massachusetts.

The Sharktivity map is a simple tool. Sightings display on top of a Google Maps map as little blue squares with fin icons. Each fin icon represents a shark sighting, and each is clickable. And when you click a square, the following details pop up:

  • The number of confirmed sharks sighted
  • The date and time of the sighting
  • Comments (optional)

If you’ll be in Massachusetts this summer, the map is worth checking in with now and then. Or even better, you might consider downloading the app version for iOS, with which you can toggle on push notifications so you know if there’s been a new sighting. You can also, if it happens, submit your own sighting, which will be passed along to be verified.

Alongside the AWSC, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, the Cape Cod National Seashore, and locals officials from Cape Cod and South Shore towns have contributed resources to keep the map—and the iOS app—operational and up to date. The website notes that in addition to tracking shark sightings in Massachusetts, the map is meant to raise awareness of shark research and to help people and sharks coexist peacefully.

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