SCARBOROUGH, Maine (WGME) — The state says there’s more than one reason behind recent shark sightings off Maine’s coast, and climate change is one of them.
On Monday, drone video captured a shark, believed to be a great white that was 10 to 12 feet long, near Richmond Island, Higgins Beach and Scarborough Beach.
It was spotted again near Pine Point Beach on Tuesday.
Matt Davis, a scientist with the Maine Department of Marine Resources, says shark sightings are becoming more prevalent because people are more on the lookout.
He also says warming waters in Maine are something sharks are “warming up to.”
“As climate change occurs and we start seeing that warm water move northward towards toward the poles, the water is going to warm and we’re going to see that band of thermal temperature water preference move northward too. And so, when it comes to white shark distribution, they’re not really being seen in places they haven’t been seen before, but what might happen is as oceans warm, you might see sharks hang around a little bit longer into the winter or fall,” Davis said.
He also says regulations were put in place in the 1990s against hunting white sharks and we’re seeing the population growing now as a result.
Officials are urging beachgoers to stay informed, especially as more people seek relief from the heat in the ocean.
Maine’s first and only deadly shark attack occurred near Harpswell in July 2020.