“Getting to the Bottom of Rising Shark Activity”

Sharks are an important part of the ecosystem as both apex and meso predators. Understanding their role and movements allows for proper management of these fishes.

As humans increase their presence in the ocean, interactions between sharks and humans continue to rise. Sharks in nearshore areas are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic stressors as this region has the highest rate of anthropogenic changes. As environmental and management regimes change, populations of sharks will respond and either decline or rebound.

In the past 50 years, hunting pressure has been released from both seal populations and white shark populations in the greater North West Atlantic. The release of hunting pressure has lead to an exponential increase in seal populations and shark populations with particular site fidelity around Cape Cod.

Current research into the broad range movements in and around the Cape have garnered insights into the seasonality and large scale migratory patterns but questions remain on the fine-scale habitat section White Sharks have around the nearshore areas of Cape Cod.