Brochures have been distributed to raise awareness of sharks and safe practices in the event of a sighting. Still, officials are wary of the damage that could be done to tourism if one of the predators bites a person.
waters since 1916, according to data provided by the University of Florida. Skomal said sharks have been coming closer to shore to feed on the seals, which he said have been coming on shore in greater numbers because of successful conservation efforts.Ĭonfrontations with people are rare, with only 106 unprovoked white shark attacks - 13 of them fatal - in U.S. "I have not been approached by anyone who has said to me, 'Let's go kill these sharks."' "White sharks are this iconic species in society and it draws amazing amounts of attention," said Gregory Skomal, a senior marine fisheries biologist who also leads the Massachusetts Shark Research Program, who said people are coming in hopes of witnessing the animals in their splendor. Despite notices urging boaters and swimmers to use caution, the official reaction has been nearly the opposite of the panic depicted in "Jaws," the 1975 film shot mainly on the Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard. Shark sightings have soared from generally fewer than two annually before 2004 to more than 20 in each of the last few years off Cape Cod, where the economy depends heavily on the summer tourism season. Conservation efforts and the greater availability of prey such as Massachusetts' seals are credited with the reversal. and Canada is surging after decades of decline. A study released last month by scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found the number of great white sharks off the Eastern U.S.
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