Local news
The presence of sharks may be due to schooling fish.
A sign posted on the guardhouse leading to Crane Beach informs visitors that the beach has been closed to swimming. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff
Crane Beach will remain closed to swimming through September 30 due to the continued presence of sharks.
“Visitor safety is our highest priority,” Christopher Moore, property director for Crane Beach and Castle Hill, said in a statement. “We will continue to reassess and will reopen for swimming as soon as shark activity in the area subsides enough to be considered safe.”
Moore said another shark patrol will take place on Friday, Sept. 27 or Monday, Sept. 30, weather permitting.
All other activities, such as walking, hiking the sandy paths or enjoying the beach, are still open. When the shorebird season is over, the beach also opens for dog walking on October 1.
Earlier this month, reports of great white sharks off the North Shore beach began to pile in Atlantic White Shark Conservancy app reported six shark sightings in the past week.
Shark expert Gregory Skomal of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries said the sharks off Crane Beach appear to be smaller white sharks that feed on schooling fish. Skomal has heard reports of striped bass and tuna in the area.
“Given the weather, there is no indication that the white sharks are still around,” Skomal wrote in an email to Boston.com.
However, he understands that the beach managers are taking a cautious approach. After all, he wrote, “If the shoals of fish remain, the white sharks might as well.”
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