Dozens of shark sightings reported in Cape Cod waters this week

Shark sightings have forced beach closures this summer

Dozens of white shark sightings have been reported off the coast of Massachusetts' Cape Cod this week. 

In the last two days alone, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy's (AWSC) Sharktivity app tracked 17 sightings. 

There were four detections of known sharks: Ruby, Ken and Commodore.

According to The Nantucket Current, a hammerhead shark was also spotted in nearby waters. 

Warning sign for Great White Shark Biting Incidents, Newcomb Hollow Beach, Cape Cod, MA. (Photo by: Lindsey Nicholson/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) (Lindsey Nicholson/Universal Images Group via Getty Images |  istock)

FLORIDA BOY'S FACE BITTEN BY SHARK: 'GET ME OUT OF HERE'

Frequent shark sightings along the East Coast this summer have forced beach closures.

Down the coast, off of Long Island, New York, frequent shark bites have spurred officials to take action. 

A woman reads a book at low tide July 22, 2022, on Nauset Beach, Cape Cod, in Orleans, Massachusetts.  (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul directed state agencies to increase surveillance for sharks, both in the air and on land.

Reily Winston, 25, a fisherman from from Deer Park, N.Y., holds a shark his friend caught moments earlier at Robert Moses State Park, Wednesday, July 27, 2022, in Babylon, N.Y.  (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

MASSACHUSETTS SHARK SIGHTINGS IN CAPE COD WATERS SPIKE AS BUSY SEASON CONTINUES

The Florida Museum of Natural History and the University of Florida's International Shark Attack File (ISAF) reported only 12 unprovoked bites had been recorded in New York's history prior to this year, none of which were fatal. 

There is a nursery for sand tiger sharks located off Fire Island, New York. 

Grey and Harbor Seals, favored prey of Great White Sharks, swim around the harbor in Chatham, Massachusetts on July 15, 2022.  (Photo by Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)

Conservation efforts have led to a rebound in shark populations, as well as an increase in the seal population in New England waters.

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Scientists also cite warming ocean temperatures and a resurgence of bunker fish for the increase in sightings. 

The risk of a shark attack remains very low.

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