On a quiet July morning off the coast of Scarborough, Maine, Rick Clough, a seasoned fisherman with four decades of experience hauling lobsters and sea urchins from the frigid Atlantic, found himself face-to-face with an unexpected visitor: an approximately 8-foot great white shark. The encounter was a first for Clough, who admitted, "I’m not sure I’d want to go urchin diving now." Yet, he wasn’t afraid of the ocean. Like many boaters, beachgoers, and fishermen along New England and Canada’s Atlantic coast, Clough is learning to adapt to a new reality—one where the great white shark, an apex predator immortalized by the 1975 film "Jaws," is increasingly making its presence known in northern waters.
Data over the past few years paints a clear picture: great white sharks are spending more time in the chilly waters off New England and Canada. According to the Maine Department of Marine Resources, there were 93 great white shark sightings off the Maine coast between 2020 and 2024, with 19 unique individuals identified in 2024 alone. These numbers are striking for a region where such sightings were once vanishingly rare. The trend is not limited to Maine; the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy has documented hundreds of great whites off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, over the past decade, and new research shows the sharks are venturing even farther north—into New Hampshire, Maine, and beyond.
The reasons for this northward shift are rooted in ecology and conservation. Scientists, including Greg Skomal, senior fisheries biologist with the Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries, point to the rebound of seal populations as a driving factor. "It could be a function of a growing prey base," Skomal explained to the Associated Press. "And that would be seals." Laws like the Marine Mammal Protection Act have allowed seals to thrive along the New England and Canadian coasts, providing an abundant food source for the predatory sharks. As a result, not only are more great whites appearing, but they are also staying longer. Skomal and colleagues reported in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series that the average residency of white sharks in northern waters increased from 48 days to 70 days between 2018 and 2022.
These changes are reflected in the numbers. Off Halifax, Nova Scotia, the number of great white sharks detected rose about 2.5 times from 2018 to 2022. In the Cabot Strait, which separates Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, detections increased nearly fourfold. The sharks themselves are formidable creatures—adults can grow as long as 20 feet, though most don’t reach that size. David Lancaster, a commercial clam digger and surfer in Scarborough, used a drone to observe an approximately 12-foot shark near the town’s beaches in August. He described the sight as "magnificent" and "really amazing"—though he admitted the presence of such a large predator is a reminder for swimmers to stay vigilant.
For many locals, the adjustment is ongoing. "It’s crazy that they are around, as fishermen and surfers, and something we have to accept," Lancaster told the Associated Press. "It’s in the back of your head, but you have to accept it." The sentiment is echoed by others who spend time on or near the water. The days when great white sightings in Maine were the stuff of legend are gone; now, they’re becoming part of the region’s summer routine.
Despite the increased presence of these apex predators, experts emphasize that the risk to humans remains very low. According to the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History, the United States recorded 28 unprovoked shark bites in 2024—half of them in Florida. Maine, by contrast, has seen just two confirmed unprovoked shark attacks since 1837. The first ever recorded fatal shark attack in the state occurred in 2020, when a great white killed 63-year-old Julie Dimperio Holowach off Bailey Island. Worldwide, there have been fewer than 60 fatal great white shark bites on humans in recorded history. "It’s an exceedingly rare event. But we’re providing all of this information to mitigate human behavior and hopefully reduce any negative encounters between humans and sharks," said Ashleigh Novak, research coordinator with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.
Still, the increased visibility of great whites has led to heightened awareness—and sometimes anxiety—among the public. The proliferation of smartphones and social media means that shark sightings can go viral in a matter of hours. A smartphone app called Sharktivity allows users to report shark sightings in real time, giving beachgoers and boaters up-to-date information on where sharks have been spotted. The Maine Department of Marine Resources has been monitoring great white activity in the Gulf of Maine since 2020, aiming to better understand shark distribution and inform public safety efforts.
It’s not just great whites that inhabit Maine’s waters. The Department of Marine Resources notes that at least seven other shark species can be found off the state’s coast, including the basking shark, porbeagle, blue shark, sand tiger shark, common thresher, shortfin mako, and spiny dogfish. Most of these pose minimal threat to humans, and some are considered harmless. As the Florida Museum of Natural History points out, the "number of people entering the water" is a major factor influencing the number of shark attacks—meaning that increased sightings do not necessarily translate to increased danger.
Conservation efforts have played a key role in shaping the current landscape. Great white sharks have been protected from fishing in U.S. federal waters since 1997, and they remain listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. In Massachusetts, the Department of Marine Fisheries strengthened fishing laws in 2024 to prohibit targeting white sharks with certain heavy fishing gear near shorelines, after some fishermen attempted to catch them despite existing bans. "We believe here in Massachusetts that targeting white sharks from the beach is not a safe practice," Skomal said. "Not only because it could result in the death of the shark, but because it could be a public safety issue."
As more great whites make their way north, communities along the Atlantic are adapting. Fishermen, surfers, and beachgoers are learning to coexist with the ocean’s most iconic predator—sometimes nervously, sometimes with awe, but always with respect for the power and mystery of the sea. The story of the great white’s return to New England is a testament to the resilience of nature and the unforeseen consequences of conservation successes. For now, the big fish are here to stay, and life along the coast is changing—one sighting at a time.
