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They’re among the most feared creatures in our oceans, and in ominous news for ocean lovers across the US, great white sharks are more likely in the waters of the east coast than ever before.
Though they are classed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and thus we should be championing their apparent spread, the new prevalence of great whites is somewhat spooky for those who frequent US waters.
And quite rightly so. Though they’re only responsible for an average of ten human fatalities every year (an extremely small number when you consider how many people actually enter the sea), these apex predators instil fear in the hears of many who spot them.
It’s no wonder that a certain movie was made about them.
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According to a new study, recently published in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series, great whites have appeared further up the US and even in Canadian waters over the last decade.
In a project that involved tagging 260 great white sharks, researchers learned more than ever before about the migration and behaviors of these toothy fiends.
At the same time, the number of sightings has risen significantly – in fact, sightings near Halifax, Nova Scotia more than doubled between 2018 and 2022.
And if that isn’t a reason to check the waters thoroughly before entering, what is?
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Of course, while beachgoers are interested in whether great whites are in their stretch of ocean, scientists are more interested in why they’re there: why their behavior and migration routes are changing.
In their paper, the researchers offer several hypotheses, among them the positive and negative effects that our own species are having on the sharks’ natural enviroment.
First, the positive. Thanks to the efforts of conservation initiatives, grey seal populations – which were previously endangered due to hunting and pollution – are recovering significantly, meaning that the great whites have more of their prey to hunt across the Atlantic.
On the flip side, however, the damage that human activity is doing to the climate is causing North Atlantic waters to get warmer, meaning that the great whites are straying into territory that would once have been considered too chilly.
In three words? It’s on us.
Thought that was fascinating? Here’s another story you might like: Why You’ll Never See A Great White Shark In An Aquarium