Cape Cod Legislators Aim To Educate Statehouse About Shark Dangers
BOSTON (CBS) - It is no longer a rare sight – sharks feasting on seals in the waters of Cape Cod. But last summer, there were two attacks on humans and one was fatal.
Dr. Greg Skomal has tagged more than 150 great white sharks and deployed buoys to receive the radio signals from those tagged sharks, which notify authorities when the sharks are around.
But now, some legislators want to do more. "We don't want to throw money at something and tell the public, 'Oh, it's safe to go into the waters,' and give them a false sense of safety," said Rep. Sarah Peake of Provincetown.
In April the Baker administration allotted $383,000 for Cape Cod towns that have beaches facing the ocean. The money is for items like emergency call boxes and utility terrain vehicles to help respond to shark attacks.
Wellfleet wants to put hardwired call boxes on its beaches. Provincetown, Truro and Eastham want to improve phone signals on the beaches. Truro and Chatham want to buy new stretchers.
The legislators have teamed up with representatives from the New England Aquarium to educate their colleagues about our state's marine environment.
"Its part of a series about better educating our colleagues who are not as familiar with the Massachusetts coast," said Rep. Dylan Fernandes, of Falmouth.
