CHATHAM, Mass., Sept. 6 (UPI) -- The first great white shark ever tagged in the Atlantic was found off Cape Cod, Mass., state officials said Sunday.
The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries tagged the shark Saturday and then tagged another later in the day. The area has had a number of shark sightings, CNN reported.
Greg Skomal, a shark expert for the division, reported five large sharks off Monomoy Island, Mass., a National Wildlife Refuge off the southern elbow of Cape Cod. The island is about one mile away from Chatham's Lighthouse Beach, which is a public swimming area.
Three sharks came within 75 yards of the coastline and all of Chatham's east-facing beaches were then closed until the middle of next week.
Skomal identified the sharks. They were tagged to track their movements.
Great whites are occasionally seen in New England, feeding near seal colonies. The state has recorded only four shark attacks since 1670. Two of them were fatal, including one in 1936.
