Hundreds of great white sharks have returned to the Atlantic waters off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, creating a seasonal hunting ground that researchers now call Great White Alley.
Ocean research non-profit OCEARCH has tagged and tracked nearly 500 sharks over the past two decades, including at least nine great whites followed in the area since the start of June.
Researchers discovered that hundreds, and by some estimates thousands, of great white sharks have returned to Cape Cod waters since 2015. The area was deserted for decades following heavy overfishing and targeted hunting during the mid-20th century.
In previous summers, scientists documented more than 100 new great white sharks entering the stretch of ocean also known as Shark Alley each year. Researchers estimate that several hundred of the predators return to the Cape Cod area annually to feed before migrating south for the winter.
The foundation for the return of great whites was set in the early 2000s after a 1972 environmental protection law allowed gray seal populations to gradually rebound, restoring a vital food source for the sharks.
Resurgence of predators in Shark Alley
Other top predators have also moved into Northeast hunting grounds. Among them is the dusky shark, a species that grows up to 13 feet in length and preys on fish, rays, and smaller sharks.
Although large sharks have already made their presence known at the start of July, researchers from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife said Americans should expect even more sightings in September and October as great whites chase seals living near the US-Canada border.
Although researchers in Massachusetts and with OCEARCH have tagged only a fraction of the visiting sharks, a 2023 study published in Marine Ecology Progress Series estimated that 800 individual great white sharks visited the waters off Cape Cod between 2015 and 2018 alone.
Chris Fischer, the founder of OCEARCH, told the Daily Mail last summer that the actual population of white sharks along the coast is far larger than the public realizes.
"I think there are far more white sharks, if we're talking about large sharks, off our coast than people think there are," Fischer said. "There is no way that we have captured more than a fraction of one percent. I think that you're looking at tens of thousands of them, certainly 10,000 of them most of the time."
Sightings expand along the New York coast
Although Florida remains the primary shark bite capital of the United States, the North Atlantic hotspot appears to be affecting sightings in nearby states where residents are less accustomed to watching for predators.
On July 2, a massive nine-foot shark was spotted off the coast of Point Lookout in Hempstead, Nassau County. Shortly after, the New York City Parks Department reported multiple bull shark sightings near Rockaway Beach and warned that the incidents could lead to intermittent beach closures. Officials urged beachgoers to follow instructions from lifeguards and on-site staff.
Swimming bans were also triggered in early July after a bull shark and another smaller shark were spotted off the New York coast.
Experts reported that while hammerhead sightings remain uncommon around Long Island, New York, they have become more frequent during summer months as ocean temperatures rise. A hammerhead shark was seen off the Long Island coast on Monday.
East Coast shark attack statistics
Despite the increase in sightings near popular shores, the vast majority of shark attack incidents take place far away from Shark Alley. According to the International Shark Attack File maintained by the Florida Museum, only 13 shark attacks have been recorded in waters near New York since 2020.
Florida ranks first in the United States for shark bite incidents since 2020, with 101 reported attacks, none of which were fatal. Hawaii ranked second during that period with 32 biting incidents and four deaths, while California ranked third with 21 attacks and four deaths.
Despite growing concerns along the East Coast that sharks are moving closer to crowded beaches due to warming ocean temperatures, no shark attack incidents have been reported around Cape Cod in the last five years. Across the entire Northeast, only one person has been killed by a shark in recent years, dying off the coast of Maine in 2020.
Fischer explained that the return of apex predators reflects the restoration of a natural ecosystem that had been severely damaged for decades.
"You're getting to see what your great-granddaddy used to watch here at the beach. You just have never seen it in your life because we had compromised the system so badly. And now it's back," Fischer said.
