Sound barrier to chase seals, prevent shark attacks debated

BOSTON – A Cape Cod company has proposed building a sonic barrier around the region’s beaches to chase away seals in order to prevent shark attacks.

Deep Blue LLC presented the idea Wednesday at a public meeting in Barnstable. Two men were attacked — one fatally — by sharks on the Cape last summer.

The company envisions a system of underwater audio devices that will emit a sound unpleasant to seals.

Owners Willy Planinshek and Kevin McCarthy say that if the seals leave the area, the great white sharks that eat them will stay away.

Commission members and some residents voiced support for the idea.

But marine biologists said sharks eat more than just seals and that acoustic deterrent systems have failed elsewhere.