Local News

Dead whale carcass is drawing a steady stream of great white sharks to the South Shore

The floating meal has brought abundant wildlife to the area, exciting shark enthusiasts.

By Beth Treffeisen

July 17, 2024

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A dead whale carcass floating in the waters off the South Shore has been attracting all sorts of wildlife, including great white sharks. 

According to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration release, the whale was first found floating off the South Shore on Friday. 

NOAA identified the whale as “Lollipop” and said she was last seen “in good apparent health” on June 1. NOAA says the cause of death is unknown. 

Whale and Dolphin Conservation and the Center for Coastal Studies gathered additional on-water documentation, including with a pole cam. NOAA found no entangling material on the whale. 

The teams attached a large satellite tracking tag to the whale and will continue to monitor her location. 

After assessing the logistics of a tow and the inability to find a landing site, NOAA Fisheries decided the whale would be left floating. 

Meanwhile, the carcass sure has attracted sharks. 

“It’s a big opportunity for a shark to fill up,” said John Chisholm, a shark expert with the New England Aquarium. 

Chisholm said when a whale dies, like a Lollipop, it floats on the surface and decomposes, sending out a slick. Once sharks find the scent, they follow it to the whale and take advantage of the nutrient-rich food source. 

Blue sharks are also known to feed on dead whale carcasses, but there have been no confirmed sightings of that species at this one. 

If the carcass was south of Massachusetts, Chisholm said it would also attract other warmer-water creatures such as tiger and dusky sharks. 

Chisholm said it is unclear how many sharks have fed off this one carcass so far. But he said the number of sharks seen feeding at once was three. 

“It is a huge opportunity for them to get a big meal with little effort,” said Chisholm. “It’s just waiting for them.” 

Also feeding on the carcass are seabirds from gulls to terns, Chisholm said. 

Sharks will continue to feed as the carcass remains floating due to the buoyant blubber. But, as the fat is eaten away and eventually sinks, all kinds of creatures will take over, from lobsters to crabs to worms and hagfish. 

Boston Harbor Cruise boats have found the carcass multiple times. 

“If you want to go out and smell it and see … hop on a whale watch,” said Chisholm. 

A few people have traveled out there on their own to catch a glimpse. 

A father and son duo, Frank and Mike Pitten, came across around a half dozen great white sharks feasting on it Monday morning. The pair was around six miles from Scituate. Pittens told NBC10 Boston that the sharks were unfazed by their 29-foot boat. 

“I looked at Michael, and I was like, you know, this is kind of a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Frank told NBC10 Boston. 

Another video shared with CBS News shows a great white shark, also off the coast of Scituate, approaching a motor boat and opening its mouth.