As Summer Winds Down, AWSC Reminds Public to Stay Shark Smart

While summer vacation season may be coming to an end, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC) is reminding coastal residents and visitors that great white shark season remains in full swing. The exact peak of any year’s white shark season is difficult to predict in advance, but white shark populations typically remain high until late fall off coastal New England, with the highest concentrations on the Atlantic side of the outer Cape.

“White sharks will keep feeding on seals, tuna and other prey off the New England coast until the water gets cold enough to trigger their migration south to the Carolinas, Florida, or the Gulf of Mexico,” said Dr. Megan Winton, Senior Scientist of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. “While fewer coastal visitors and the end to summer lifeguard season can result in a misleading drop in reported white shark sightings, people continuing to enjoy our beaches should also keep taking shark-smart precautions.”

AWSC’s Sharktivity app remains updated with real-time detections and sightings. AWSC researchers, in collaboration with the MA DMF, will continue tagging and tracking white shark activity until November. The public can also continue purchasing tickets for white shark tours through mid-October.

In late winter, AWSC scientists will issue their annual shark season research summary. AWSC has identified over 700 white sharks in its White Shark Catalog since it began monitoring the population in 2014.

If members of the public capture footage of a white shark in the waters along the Atlantic coast of the US or Canada or in the Gulf of Mexico, they can contribute it to the White Shark Logbook by sending it to info@atlanticwhiteshark.org.