Seal found dead in Rye, NH after being bitten by great white shark

RYE – A dead harbor seal that washed up on Wallis Sands beach last weekend died as a result of a great white shark bite, the first local incident of this type of predation in 2024, according to Seacoast Science Center Marine Mammal Rescue.

The New Hampshire State Beach Patrol was notified by beachgoers on Sunday, June 23, that a dead harbor seal had washed ashore with the tide, prompting a report to Marine Mammal Rescue. The subadult male, who suffered a large wound on the left side of his body, was found by Marine Mammal Rescue personnel and brought to the team’s facility. Testing by the team and outside sources confirmed that the seal had been bitten by a great white shark.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, harbor seals are one of the most common marine species on the east and west coasts of the United States. Harbor seals can weigh over 285 pounds and grow up to 6 feet long.

The seal’s death came amid the Town of Rye’s efforts to monitor tagged great white shark activity off the town’s coast. Referring to the tagged great white shark detection buoys deployed off four Rye beaches, town Fire Chief Mark Cotreau told the Select Board this month that in 2023, six different tagged great white sharks were seen swimming within 1,500 feet of the buoys.

More:Great white sharks spotted off Rye beaches. Fire chief says sea is ‘still extremely safe’

Brian Yurasits, community outreach manager at Marine Mammal Rescue, points out that there are few local cases of shark predation on seals. Since 2014, the team has reported an average of two to four cases of shark predation on seals per year, according to Yurasits. Marine Mammal Rescue’s operational radius stretches from coastal and southern Maine to Essex, Massachusetts.

“It is important to note that seal hunts cannot provide real-time information about great white shark activity in the Gulf of Maine because it is impossible to determine where and when this predator-prey interaction occurred,” he said. “For example, it is entirely possible that this interaction occurred miles offshore.”

Marine Mammal Rescue confirmed the shark bite through the New England Aquarium. After the investigation, Marine Mammal Rescue members planned to send disease surveillance samples to the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University and a genetic sample to the nonprofit Ocean Genome Legacy Center.

The seal’s death was reported by Marine Mammal Rescue on Tuesday, two days after the seal was found and confirmed to have died from a shark bite.

“It is also critical that we work with our partners at the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy and the New England Aquarium to confirm any shark predation cases before releasing this information to the public, as there are several species of sharks that may prey on seals and bite wounds may look similar to ship collisions or other injuries a seal may sustain,” Yurasits explained.

Keeping an eye on sharks in the Gulf of Maine

The Rye shark buoys were placed off the shores of Sawyer Beach, Cable Beach, Foss Beach and Wallis Sands. The buoys do not transmit real-time shark data to local lifeguards or local safety personnel, and do not collect information about unmarked sharks that may be swimming through local waters. The buoys are pulled from the ocean in the fall and the information collected is analyzed by researchers at the University of New Hampshire and the Atlantic Shark Conservancy.

Great white sharks travel through the Gulf of Maine from early summer through fall, and during this time the species can be found everywhere from the oceans off New Jersey to Nova Scotia, Yurasits said.

Great white sharks are the largest known predatory fish in the world. According to the World Wildlife Fund, the species can weigh between 1.8 and 3.2 tons and grow up to 6 meters long.

“Our goal is not to cause disruption in the communities we serve, but to advance our science and understanding of these predator-prey relationships,” Yurasits added. “Shark-human encounters are extremely rare in New Hampshire waters, and beachgoers face far greater risks from rip currents, a lost surfboard or driving to the beach.”

Shark researcher and associate scientist John Chisholm of the New England Aquarium, who studies shark movements in Atlantic waters for a living, said a similar incident recently occurred on a beach in Wells, Maine, where a dead seal washed ashore after being bitten by a shark.

More:What you need to know about sharks swimming in the waters of Hampton Beach

Should beachgoers be afraid of sharks?

With shark tagging and detection efforts increasing, Chisholm reminds beachgoers and those fearful of shark activity that this species has always been present in the region.

“Although it’s concerning that people are seeing these sharks being spotted off the beach, they were there. The tags just give us insight into how they’re moving and where those (movements) are taking place,” he said.

Chisholm acknowledged that the growing shark population in Cape Cod was due to the large seal population in the area.

“We know that activity is increasing because the population is growing. The tags show what habits the sharks have,” he said. “The sharks are tagged off Cape Cod, South Carolina and now even in Canada. These sharks have been doing this for decades. It’s only now that we’ve put these tags on.”

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy and the New England Aquarium can monitor shark movements and record them in the Sharktivity phone application, which warns users before they enter the sea.

“It’s just a reminder that the sharks are there and to be careful of sharks when you go in the water,” Chisholm said. “If you see seals, don’t swim with the bait, as I always say. If you see a school of fish, it’s best to stay away. Don’t swim alone, don’t isolate yourself, don’t make a commotion in the water, because sharks will notice and know your surroundings.”

The shark buoys in Rye were purchased by the town to study great white shark activity. The town was responding to the July 2020 death of a New York City woman who succumbed to a rare shark attack while swimming off Bailey Island. It was the first fatal shark attack in Maine history.

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