Warning: more great white sharks spotted along the coasts of this northern state
Shark sightings are climbing in some cooler waters, and researchers say the real story is related to various factors.
It’s been fifty summers since ‘Jaws’ scared some Americans off the beach, but in Maine the script is playing out for real. Well, it may not be as sensational as Amity but it’s true that great white sharks are showing up more often in waters where they were once rare.
The Maine Department of Marine Resources has identified 93 different white sharks off the state’s coast since 2020. Nineteen unique sharks were recorded last year alone, across 47 separate days of sightings. For fishermen, boaters, and swimmers, that’s a noticeable shift in just a few years.
Why are great white sharks appearing more often in Maine?
Scientists point to the rebound of gray and harbor seal populations, the shark’s favored prey. More seals, more sharks.
The same trend is playing out farther north. A recent study in Marine Ecology Progress Series reported a 2.5-fold increase in white shark detections near Halifax, Nova Scotia, between 2018 and 2022. Even in the Cabot Strait, between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, detections nearly quadrupled.
Should beachgoers in Maine be worried about shark attacks?
Despite the headlines, the danger is extremely low. Maine has logged just two confirmed unprovoked shark attacks since 1837. One of them, tragically, was fatal: in 2020, as AP reported, 63-year-old Julie Dimperio Holowach was killed while swimming off Bailey Island. Shark experts stress that fatalities are exceedingly rare not only in Maine, but worldwide.
“White sharks are here to target seals,” Massachusetts fisheries and shark biologist Greg Skomal previously explained. “If they do bite a person, it’s a mistake, and it’s not something they intend to do, but unfortunately these mistakes can be quite severe.”
For context, the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History has tallied 949 unprovoked shark attacks globally since 1580. Of those, 351 were linked to great whites, with only 59 fatal. Compare that to car accidents, lightning strikes, or even falling coconuts, and the odds look very different.
More sharks, more science
Beyond the fear factor, researchers say the rising presence of white sharks gives them a chance to better understand one of the ocean’s top predators. Maine has at least eight shark species in its waters, from the harmless basking shark to the speedy shortfin mako. The white shark’s return is part of a larger story about shifting ecosystems in the Gulf of Maine.
So while the Jaws theme might play in your head the next time you dip a toe in the Atlantic, the science suggests you’re more likely to encounter a curious seal than a hunting shark.
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