On Friday, while out looking for sunfish in the crystal-clear water off the state-owned section of Nantasket Beach, Hull’s Joe Mahoney spotted a juvenile white shark, estimated to be about eight feet long.

New England Aquarium shark expert John Chisholm confirmed that it was a white shark, and said Wednesday that this is peak white shark season, and activity typically increases off the South Shore in the fall.

Chisholm added that last September, a tagged white shark was detected in the same area, but this year’s detections will not be tallied until the acoustic receivers are removed at the end of the year.

Mahoney alerted the Hull Harbormaster, Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, which told him that bait fish found nearby may have attracted the shark to the area. The sighting also was recorded on the Sharktivity app. [Images courtesy of Joe Mahoney]

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