Great White Sharks Surge in New England and Canada’s Northern Waters
Great white shark sightings spike off New England and Nova Scotia due to more seals.
New data highlights a significant northward migration of great white sharks into the colder waters off New England and Canada’s Atlantic coast, transforming regions like Maine and Nova Scotia into emerging hotspots for these apex predators. According to a May 2025 study in the Marine Ecology Progress Series, white shark detections off Halifax, Nova Scotia, surged 2.5 times from 2018 to 2022, while sightings in the Cabot Strait, separating Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, increased nearly fourfold.
Scientists attribute this trend to a rebounding shark population, bolstered by conservation efforts since the 1990s in the U.S. and 2011 in Canada, and a booming grey seal population, a primary food source, which has grown from 2,300 in 1960 to 380,000 in 2017.
In Maine, the Department of Marine Resources has tracked 93 unique great white sharks from 2020 to 2024, with 19 identified in 2024 alone across 47 dates, signaling a marked increase in activity in the Gulf of Maine. Historically rare in these waters, great whites are now a regular presence, prompting local adaptations among boaters, beachgoers, and fishermen.
Despite their fearsome reputation, amplified by the 1975 film Jaws, shark experts emphasize that attacks remain exceedingly rare. Since 1837, Maine has recorded only two confirmed unprovoked shark attacks, including a fatal incident in 2020 involving 63-year-old Julie Dimperio Holowach off Bailey Island. The International Shark Attack File notes 949 unprovoked shark attacks globally since 1580, with great whites responsible for 351, of which 59 were fatal.
The growing presence of great whites, alongside seven other shark species in Maine’s waters—such as the harmless basking shark and spiny dogfish—reflects a conservation success story but also raises public safety concerns. Nova Scotia plans to install warning signs with QR codes at about a dozen beaches to inform visitors without causing panic, while Maine and Massachusetts have implemented similar measures, including the Sharktivity app for real-time sighting reports.
As great whites extend their residency in northern waters from 48 to 70 days annually, driven by warming oceans and abundant prey, coastal communities are learning to coexist with these predators, balancing awe with caution.
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