Jersey Shore shark season 2020 is upon us

If it’s summer, it must be time for shark sightings. Don’t worry, experts say that this is part of normal migration and that there is no unusual danger.

According to the New York Post, two Great Whites have been recorded off the Jersey coast this summer, with a third one likely to be around. The two that have been tagged and are, therefore trackable, are Caroline (12 feet 9 inches long, 1,348 pounds) who was pinged off of Barnegat Light earlier this month, and Vimy (13 feet long 1,364 pounds), who was pinged off the South Jersey/Delaware coast on July 10th, but is likely long gone by now. The possible third shark is a Jersey Shore regular, Mary Lee, who is 16 feet and over 3,000 pounds. Her tracker’s battery died in 2017, but she is believed to still frequent the area. Two other, smaller, great whites, Cabot and Caper, were spotted near the Hamptons.

Experts told the New York Post that the appearance of the seafaring beasts is actually a good sign, indicating a healthy ocean ecosystem (think clean water) and that the fish population is in balance because the sharks prey of weaker fish leaving the population as a whole stronger. The appearance of the sharks near the shore at this time of year is consistent with their typical migration patterns and isn’t cause for alarm; there hasn’t been a fatal shark attack in New Jersey waters since 1926.

One of the organizations that tracks (and names) the sharks is Ocearch. You can see the various sightings over the past few years on their tracker.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle. Any opinions expressed are Bill Doyle's own.