Hammerhead shark tagged in New England waters "raises a lot of questions," researcher says

Rising ocean temperatures are drawing more hammerhead sharks to New England waters, researchers say.

The Rhode Island-based Atlantic Shark Institute said this week that it tagged a hammerhead shark off Block Island for the first time ever.

Executive Director Jon Dodd said in a statement that the arrival of hammerheads in New England and this "milestone" tagging "raises a lot of questions" about the sharks' migration patterns and habitat use. The electronic tag on the shark will allow the institute to follow the shark as it moves along the East Coast for up to a decade or more.

"With our warming waters, many of the shark species that New England residents associate with Florida and southern states are finding our water temperatures much more attractive than they would have just 25 years ago," Dodd said.

In an interview with WBZ-TV last year, state shark biologist John Chisholm said hammerheads are also becoming an increasingly popular sight off Massachusetts, "especially around the islands and south of the Cape where the water gets really warm during the summertime."

Chisholm said he expects other southern shark species to start popping up in the Northeast, including the bull shark, which is known to be the most aggressive toward humans.

The shark seen off Rhode Island was a scalloped hammerhead, which can grow up to 11 feet and weigh up to 335 pounds. Their range typically only goes as far north as New Jersey, according to a government map. 

Massachusetts beachgoers don't have to worry too much about hammerheads. Chisholm described the species as a "fish-eating shark" that is generally not interested in humans, but people should still keep their distance due to the sharks' sharp teeth.