14-foot thresher shark dies after stranding off Massachusetts waters
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A 14-foot thresher shark died Tuesday after becoming stranded in shallow water off the coast of Massachusetts.
The New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance (NECWA), a nonprofit organization that responded to the scene, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that the shark was first seen alive at Mayo Beach in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. Unfortunately, the animal died just before NECWA arrived on site.
“Yesterday morning, NECWA received multiple calls about a possibly live thresher shark stranded in shallow water off Mayo Beach, Wellfleet, MA,” the alliance said in a Facebook post Wednesday. he said. “Our team sprang into action and rushed to the scene to rescue this shark. Unfortunately, the animal died just before the team arrived.”
Photos taken from the scene show the wide-eyed, slender thresher lying on the shore, sporting an extremely long, whip-like tail and measuring about half the length of its body. The shark appeared injured, with visible scar-like marks on its body.
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A thresher shark stranded on shore in Wellfleet, Massachusetts is being examined. (New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance)
NECWA noted that the animal’s condition was already poor when its teams arrived and an autopsy of the animal was performed.
“The fish that died in Wellfleet was alive but not in great shape when it was first seen,” Marine Biologist and NECWA President Krill Carson told Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital reached out to shark biologist John Chisholm for more information about the necropsy.
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On December 2, 2025, a 14-foot-long shark was stranded at Mayo Beach in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. (New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance)
Strandings of thresher sharks are common off the coast of Cape Cod, especially during the colder months, the organization said. Carson added that the majority of stranded threshers were men.
“It is not uncommon for thresher sharks to become stranded in New England in the fall as they attempt to head to warmer waters further south,” the organization said in a Facebook post. “Like many marine animals, this shark took a wrong turn and ended up in Wellfleet’s inner harbor.”
An apparently injured shark died after becoming stranded at Mayo Beach in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, on December 2, 2025. (New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance)
Carson said thresher sharks are at high risk of dying after being stranded because they cannot tolerate prolonged exposure to cold weather. He noted that bay water temperatures at the time were roughly 50 degrees below and continuing to drop.
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A male thresher shark was found stranded during migration. (New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance)
“Every season a handful of threshers get stranded on Cape Cod because they can’t continue their migration south,” Carson told Fox News Digital. “If they stay in our area for too long, they will become cold-stunned or suffer from cold shock and die.”
NECWA is a non-profit organization staffed entirely by volunteers. Contributions can be made at necwa.org.
