CHATHAM, Mass. — Some are calling it the summer of sharks.
There have been tens of sightings on the New England and New York coast, and even five attacks to date on Long Island.
In recent years, those encounters have turned deadly.
For example, in September 2018, Massachusetts' first deadly shark attack since 1936 occurred in Wellfleet.
Just two summers later, up the coast in Maine, a woman was killed by a shark off Bailey Island, in that state's first deadly attack on record.
The reason for the increase
"The big question is are the more white sharks, or are we just paying attention. I think it’s a bit of a combination of both," said Dr. Greg Skomal, the renowned marine biologist and shark researcher.
"It wasn’t really until 2009 that we started focusing on white sharks, that’s because we started getting really predictable access to them right here on Cape Cod," Skomal said.
It's the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy in Chatham's mission to better understand the white shark population and inform beachgoers about their risk.
Megan Winton, a research scientist at the conservancy, had an "early fascination" with sharks, but was really afraid of them. She's turned that fascination and fear into a career in understanding these animals. She added it’s been a period of super rapid change on Cape Cod, which is now known as the newest global white shark hot spot.
Decades ago, white shark populations declined dramatically as a result of fishing; some estimates are as much as 80%.
"Seals were also absent from Cape Cod for a really long time as a result of hunting efforts," Winton said. The rebound of both the seal and white shark populations represents a conservation success story, which is now getting a lot of attention.
"When you talk to people who spent a lot of time here in the '80s and early '90s, who grew up here, they don’t remember seeing seals. Seals weren't a thing here," Winton added.
Some question whether climate change is playing a role, but Winton said the science suggests the sharks are "recolonizing their historic range," as historically, they have long occurred in waters off the New England coastline. It is possible climate change could play a role in the ecosystem in the future years, and alter the shark or seal population.
These days, the seals are everywhere, and can often be found swimming in shallow water closer to shore, doing their best to avoid a run-in with a shark.
Dr. Skomal said the seals are drawing the sharks closer to the beaches.
"What’s happened I think in the last decade or so, two decades, is the growing presence of seals has changed the distribution of white sharks to closer to shore," said Skomal.
"They essentially patrol the entire coastline of Cape Cod hunting for seals, and they do that in really shallow water close to the shore," Winton said.
Where and when attacks are more likely
When a shark is spotted or an attack is reported, it raises the question of whether or not it's safe for us to wade in.
"I think it catches our attention more so than car accidents and lightning strikes," Skomal said, adding that understanding what species are dangerous, where they occur, and when they are most likely to show up, is key to understanding your risk.
In Massachusetts, the area most at risk is the outer Cape.
"The outer Cape is where we see the greatest density of white shark. That's where they are feeding on seals. That's where human activity would interact with the predator-prey relationship," Skomal suggested. The number of sightings at beaches in Eastham or Wellfleet, for example, far exceeds the number of sightings at other New England beaches.
"The probability of being bitten, although low, comes up a little bit, compared to areas that are completely devoid of white sharks," Skomal said.
One place white sharks are not a concern? The Connecticut shoreline, on Long Island Sound.
"If I'm swimming anywhere in Long Island Sound, I'm not concerned at all about shark attacks, because there are no documented attacks there," Skomal said. Sharks are present on the south side of Long Island, on the open ocean, in New York.
Sharks most frequent the New England coastline later in the summer. Detections of sharks tagged increase dramatically between July and August, peaking through September into early October.
Seals are present year-round, so it's believed water temperature plays a role in where and when the sharks appear.
"White sharks prefer water temperatures ranging from the low 50s, into the low 70s, and higher. When the water starts to warm up through the course of the summer, the number of sharks starts to increase," Winton said.
Research and tourism coming together
The intrigue from locals and tourists alike is creating a business opportunity for some.
In addition to shirts and apparel at local shops, a shark tour is now the latest excursion offered at Outermost Harbor Marine in Chatham.
"We started doing shark tours for the first time this year out of my marina," owner Harrison Kahn said, suggesting the sharks aren't far off the exposed coast.
"A lot of people are just interested in what it's like to see a shark up close," he said.
It's not simply a boat ride to spot a shark. It's a partnership with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. Guided by a spotter pilot from the air, and alongside a member of the conservancy's team, it's an opportunity to observe white sharks up close. Those observations are then shared through the conservancy's white shark tracking app, called Sharktivity.
Captain Dawson Bertrand says he's noticed how the waters are changing too. "I've seen a large increase in just the last 10 years. Ten years ago, it wasn't even the shark capital of the world, and now it is."
Tracking sharks from the shore
Dr. Skomal has been tracking sharks since the late 1980s.
"The tags we were using back then were just conventional tags. Now we are using highly sophisticated satellite-linked technology, in some cases collecting video, behavioral information, that I never dreamed would be possible," Skomal said.
In a typical season, Skomal and his team aim to tag 30 to 50 new white sharks. Some of those tags have a longevity of 10 years, which has enabled the team to closely study how the white shark population behaves over a long period of time.
In recent years, that information is shared in real-time with lifeguards and decision-makers.
"What we are using now is a live receiver. Any time one of our active transmitters on a white shark swims within the range of that receiver, that detection is relayed immediately to lifeguards," Skomal said.
Sightings from the public and information from the live receivers are reported through the Sharktivity app.
"We want to make sure what we are producing is, number one, credible. Number two, relayed to the public and public safety officials like lifeguards as quickly as possible," Skomal added.
The new and improved data allows lifeguards and municipalities to understand how frequently sharks may be swimming in their area, and how long they stick around. "If that’s happening frequently, they’re staying a long time, they can make decisions as to how often to close the beaches, and perhaps how long to close the beaches," Skomal said.
In a place like the shark capital of the world, those encounters may only continue to become more common.
Ryan Breton is a meteorologist at FOX61 News. He can be reached at rbreton@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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