Beach weather is here and so are sharks. Scientists say it’s time to look out for great whites

Scientists with a Boston aquarium are encouraging beachgoers to report sightings of white sharks this holiday weekend after signs of shark bites were observed on multiple marine mammals

PORTLAND, Maine — Scientists with a Boston aquarium are encouraging beachgoers to report sightings of white sharks this holiday weekend after signs of shark bites were observed on multiple marine mammals.

Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer in New England, and the region has been experiencing beach weather already. That’s a good reason to be on the lookout for the sharks, often referred to as great whites, said John Chisholm, an adjunct scientist at the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life.

The aquarium received a report of a minke whale with a white shark bite off Chatham, Massachusetts, recently, and this is also the time of year scientists expect to see the sharks head to inshore waters to hunt seals, the aquarium said Thursday.

“Although we haven’t seen a white shark just yet this season, we know they’re here,” Chisholm said. “With beach weather in the forecast and Memorial Day weekend approaching, this is a good reminder for people to review shark safety guidelines and be shark smart.”

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