White Sharks Making A Comeback In New England

August 25, 2009

Release from: Heather Marshall
Bristol County Environmental News Examiner

Everyone knows the movie. It is a hot Fourth of July weekend, summer tourists pour out of large-bellied ferries that arrive from the mainland. We see shots of cute summer cottages with white picket fences, and pristine beaches lined with a charming boardwalk. The calming magic of Amity Island is shattered when the shores are suddenly stalked by a blood thirsty, above-average sized, rogue Great White Shark, which will let nothing (not even Roy Schneider!) keep it from feasting on unsuspecting bathers.

Now, keep the setting, change the clothes and time period, and loose the actors, and we find that surfers and swimmers along the shores of Southern Cape Cod, MA, are experiencing the same unease while exploring beaches in the summer. Jaws is back!

Though Great Whites have been noted along the coasts of Mass. for many years (mostly in juvenile sizes), over the past few years there has been a rise in the presence of these magnificent fish. Yes, a shark is a fish…not a mammal! Great whites are fish that can be found in temperature (i.e., colder than FL, warmer than the Arctic) waters, and are often associated with large pinniped (e.g., seals, sea lions) colonies. White sharks are often found swimming around coastlines where they can easily pick off the young and sick individuals of a pinniped population, and such locations include the Farallon Islands off of Northern California, and in waters off of South Africa.

The first highly publicized occurrence of whites in MA happened in the fall of 2004, when a 15-foot female white shark was caught within the shallow waters of the Elizabeth Islands, located between Martha’s Vineyard and the mainland of MA. It was thought that the shark wondered into the shallow lagoon during high tide in the search of prey items, and was trapped by receding waters, unable to leave the lagoon through the newly shallow channel. After two weeks of coaxing by researchers from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and the expertise of commercial weir-net fishermen, the shark was urged back out into open waters and went on her merry way.

Though the drama of this highly publicized encounter has not been repeated since, it has been documented that great whites have had a greater presence in Cape Cod lately, and there have been increased reports of white shark bycatch (accidental catches) in commercial fishing nets, as well as a few reports by surfers. It is thought that growing seal populations along Chatham’s coast (Specifically, Nauset Beach and Monomoy Island) on the Cape is responsible for the increase in white shark sightings. In fact it is largely the increase of seal carcasses found floating in the water or washed up on shore that supports the case for white shark attacks. Despite an increase in actual shark sightings, it is still believed that the number of white sharks in the area is still very low as compared to other coastal species of sharks. Because of the elusive thrill brought about by a shark sighting, some people are quick to label any fin as a white shark, and a lot of the reports have not been substantiated. The patrolling by white sharks is believed to still be infrequent and there are no swimming restrictions in place due to a fear of white shark-swimmer encounters.

Some fishermen seem to welcome the presence of these sharks, as the abundant seal population along Chatham is proving to be a problem. The seals eat a lot of the inshore commercially relevant fish that fishermen are trying to catch (seals can eat up to 8% of their body weight in a day). Seals also eat bait off of fishing gear, and become tangled in fishing lines. A sanitary problem is created by the great increase in seal fecal matter that results from this growing population.

It also seems that surfers are not deterred from enjoying the coast of Cape Cod, and perhaps join shark enthusiasts in the excitement of possibly seeing one of the most magnificent and elusive fish in the sea… in our own backyard.