![In this Tuesday, July 25, 2016 photo released by the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, a great white shark swims close to the Cape Cod shore in Chatham, Mass. A Massachusetts state biologist said shark sightings are up slightly along the East Coast this summer. (Wayne Davis/Atlantic White Shark Conservancy via AP)]({"default":{"load":"default","w":"73","h":"40","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BBuXN98.img?h=405&w=728&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=1277&y=752"},"size3column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"35","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BBuXN98.img?h=347&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=1277&y=752"},"size2column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"35","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BBuXN98.img?h=347&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=1277&y=752"}})
BOSTON — It's shark season on the East Coast.
Shark sightings have prompted authorities to temporarily close popular beaches in New England, New York and elsewhere this month. And 13 people have been bitten by sharks in Florida this year.
The Associated Press checked in with shark experts to see what's going on:
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ARE SHARK SIGHTINGS ON THE RISE?
Researchers suggest this summer could be shaping up to a banner one for sightings, but it's too early to say for certain.
In Cape Cod, in Massachusetts, state marine biologist Gregory Skomal says great whites appear to have shown up earlier and in larger numbers. His team tagged its first shark in mid-June, and eight new ones have been tagged, up from three this time last year. It identified 141 last year and 80 the previous year.
In South Carolina, state marine biologist Bryan Frazier says preliminary annual survey data of sandbar, blacktip and other shark species suggest the populations are continuing their steady rise after years of overfishing.
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