Scientists are thrilled that according to one of the most comprehensive studies of great white sharks in recent years, shark numbers are greatly increasing in the waters off the Eastern U.S. and Canada. Despite their previous steady decline, great white sharks appear to be recovering.
The study, published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the journal PLOS ONE, says shark numbers have been on the rise since about 2000.
What caused this change? Scientists say that conservation efforts are working.
The critical marine predators help control the populations of other species, effectively maintaining the oceanic ecosystem. People have been correct to implement conservation measures to save this species.
And to confirm the study’s findings, sharks have continued to make appearances close to the coast.
For example, over 1,000 beach goers were evacuated from the waters of Duxbury Beach on the coat of Massachusetts Monday afternoon (Aug. 25).
A state police helicopter was conducting a coastal patrol around 2 p.m. when officials spotted the 14-foot shark swimming close to shore, about 75-100 yards from the beach.
State police watched the shark from above while boats from the U.S. Coast Guard, Duxbury harbormaster, Plymouth harbormaster and Marshfield harbormaster scouted the area, making sure there were no more sharks in the water to pose a risk to swimmers.
Check out this CBS newscast for more information on Monday’s beach closing:
Even though it may have seemed frightening to Monday’s beach goers, great white sharks rarely attack humans. To expand on that, the study further examined the reason why sharks swim so close to shore: marine prey availability.
See? It’s not you they smell.