SCARBOROUGH, Maine (AP) — New data shows that great white sharks are spending more time in the chilly waters off New England and Canada’s Atlantic coast.
That means boaters, beachgoers and fishermen who spend time in the northern waters are learning to live with the predators made famous by the movie “Jaws” 50 years ago. Sightings of the sharks are up in places like Maine, where they were once very rarely spotted.
Scientists link the white shark sightings to increased availability of the seals the sharks feast on, and say beachgoers are generally very safe from shark bites.
Here’s a breakdown by the numbers.
93 great white sharks identified off Maine from 2020 to 2024
The Maine Department of Marine Resources has been monitoring great white shark activity in the Gulf of Maine since