Encounters with the Great White Shark in the cool waters of New England and the Atlantic coast of Canada used to be extremely rare, but this is changing. Almost 50 years after the film classic “Jaws”, the notorious predator is making headlines again: Great White Sharks are being sighted more frequently off coasts like Maine or Nova Scotia. For local fishermen, beachgoers, and surfers, this means suddenly having to get used to a new neighbour in the sea.
Fisherman Rick Clough recently had a once-in-a-lifetime experience: after around 40 years of lobster and sea urchin fishing off the coast of Maine, he saw one of the legendary apex predators for the first time in July. Off the port town of Scarborough, a roughly 2.4-metre-long Great White Shark swam beneath his boat – a first that even astonished the seasoned coastal fisherman. “I’m not sure if I still want to dive for sea urchins now,” Clough admitted.
Clough’s sighting is no longer an isolated case. In early August, shellfish fisherman David Lancaster filmed a roughly 3.6-metre-long Great White Shark off Scarborough’s popular beaches using a drone. “Impressive and truly incredible to see,” he reported enthusiastically – but the sight also made him realise that swimmers now need to be more careful.
Predators follow seals into cooler waters
Why are Great White Sharks appearing more frequently in northern regions? Scientists attribute the trend primarily to an overabundance of prey: thanks to strict protection laws, the seal population off New England and eastern Canada has recovered strongly in recent decades – and is now attracting its natural predators, the sharks. “It could simply be due to a growing food supply, and that would be seals,” explains shark researcher Greg Skomal. Climate change may also play a role, as rising water temperatures open up new hunting grounds for the animals – but the main motive is seal hunting.
Studies indeed show that the predators are expanding their range further north. Great Whites have been regularly sighted off Cape Cod in Massachusetts for some time, but they are now also appearing off New Hampshire, Maine, and as far north as Atlantic Canada. In a recent study, the number of Great White Sharks off Halifax (Nova Scotia) increased 2.5-fold between 2018 and 2022; in the Cabot Strait between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, there were almost four times as many sightings as just a few years earlier. Moreover, the tagged animals are spending more time on average in northern waters. Instead of around 48 days, they now stay about 70 days per season in the far north, according to Skomal. All this suggests that Great White Sharks are increasingly comfortable in cooler climes.
Protective measures and rare attacks
Not only seals but also the sharks themselves have long been protected. In the USA, a ban on catching Great White Sharks in federal waters has been in place since 1997. Nevertheless, some fishermen have recently tried to target the marine predators. In 2024, Massachusetts responded with a ban on certain heavy fishing gear in shoreline areas where the animals prefer to stay. These measures serve species conservation, as the Great White Shark, despite local population increases, remains “vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN). “We believe it is not a safe practice to fish for White Sharks from the shore, not only because the shark could die, but also for reasons of public safety,” warns Skomal.
For humans, however, the feared marine hunter poses far less danger than Hollywood once led us to believe. Worldwide, fewer than 60 fatalities from Great White Shark attacks have been documented in recorded history. Even on the North American east coast, where humans and predators are now coming into closer contact, serious incidents remain extremely rare. In Maine, the first fatal shark attack was recorded in July 2020, when a 63-year-old swimmer was killed by a Great White Shark off Bailey Island. “This is an exceptionally rare event,” emphasises Ashleigh Novak, project coordinator at the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. Nevertheless, education is important, “to adapt human behaviour and prevent negative encounters between humans and sharks as much as possible.”
Vigilant calm at the coast
The growing shark presence is causing both fascination and unease on New England’s beaches, but experts advise cautious vigilance rather than panic. In the summer months, shark sightings always attract a lot of attention on social media. A smartphone app called “Sharktivity” helps track reported Great White Shark sightings in New England in real time and warn beachgoers. Authorities also provide information on simple behavioural guidelines to further minimise the already extremely low residual risk: swimmers should stay close to the shore and in groups, avoid splashing, and not enter the water near seals or at dusk. If these recommendations are followed, the risk of an unpleasant encounter with “the Great White” remains vanishingly small.
“It’s crazy that they’re here now … you have it in the back of your mind, but you have to accept it,” says fisherman and surfer David Lancaster from Maine.
