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Cape Cod Town Cashes In On Sharks

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Bill Chaprales tags a great white shark off of the eastern point of South Monomoy in Chatham, Mass in 2010. (AP/Wendy Maeda)
Bill Chaprales tags a great white shark off of the eastern point of South Monomoy in Chatham, Mass in 2010. (AP/Wendy Maeda)

The opening scene from the iconic movie "Jaws" still strikes fear in the hearts of many beach-goers, not to mention concern among tourist industry promoters and business owners on places like Cape Cod.

Yet, in what might seem like a bit of a paradox, the town of Chatham is trying to re-brand the deadly predator and boost their tourist trade. It turns out, shark sightings are good for business — as are shark-themed T-shirts, bracelets, even lectures about these big scary fish inspire a fascination.

Guest

Warren Cornwall, freelance journalist who writes about the environment, science and outdoor recreation. His latest article "Sharks, Inc." appears in the Boston Globe Magazine this Sunday.

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WBUR Twelve days into what has been billed as the biggest great white shark expedition in U.S. history, the crew of OCEARCH snagged its first great white shark of the mission Thursday off the coast of Chatham.

WBUR Sacha Pfeiffer and Lynn Jolicoeur join a research expedition off the coast of Chatham, looking for great white sharks.

This segment aired on August 16, 2013.

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