Discovery Channel’s annual celebration of sharks is officially in full swing, and this year’s Shark Week specials are sure to entertain. We love learning about this fascinating and often misrepresented species, and so we’re excited to chat with Great White Shark expert Dr. Greg Skomal this week, who serves as the Senior Marine Fisheries Biologist for Massachusetts Marine Fisheries. Dr. Skomal will be the guest speaker at our annual Captains and Crew Dinner this Thursday, July 9th from 6-9pm at Brewer Plymouth Marine.
Dr. Skomal’s research and outreach programs were instrumental in the Town of Plymouth installing shark beacons off the Town’s coast, one of which was purchased and donated by Merrill Engineers and Land Surveyors. The beacon’s technology will increase spacial coverage of the 40 tagged Great White sharks that regularly swim off of the Massachusetts coast, and will alert the Plymouth Harbormaster when one of these sharks is in or around Plymouth. Greg Skomal and representatives from AWSC urged coastal communities in Massachusetts to consider purchasing shark beacons at a public meeting in March, stressing the importance of researching the behavior of Great Whites so that communities can implement proactive plans for better protecting the public.
Plymouth’s new shark beacons are part of a network of beacons managed by OCEARCH, a non-profit organization dedicated to the research and protection of sharks. You can monitor the activity of OCEARCH-tagged sharks all over the world on their website!
Tickets for the Captains and Crew event are going fast, so get them before they’re gone! For even more family-friendly fun on the water this weekend, register for our annual Bass & Fishing Tournament on July 11-12 for your chance to win up to $1,000!
