The ocean in front of New England is experiencing a new chapter: the growing presence of the great white shark. It is not the cinematographic monster that obsessively chased the bathers, but a real predator, ancient and powerful, which is reaffirming its presence along the coasts of Maine and Massachusetts.
Every summer the local chronicles record new reports. A dark shadow that moves fast a few meters from the shore, the fin that cracks the surface, the close encounter resumed by a drone. In recent months the testimonies have multiplied and the alert has spread to the coast of the state of New York. In Scarborough, Maine, a two-and-a-half-foot specimen was found in July. Shortly thereafter, a resident filmed a giant of almost four meters. And further south, in Cape Cod, there are no other sightings, up to the coasts of New Hampshire.
Scientists observe the phenomenon carefully. 93 sightings were reported from 2020 to 2024, more than twice the previous period. The explanation, support experts, should be sought in the growth of the population of seals, primary source of feeding for sharks. Where the prey abounds, the predators inevitably arrive.
The Film that has always changed the image of sharks
The image of white sharks as ruthless sea monsters and predators of human beings derives largely from the impact it had on pop culture the release of the film The shark, by Steven Spielberg, exactly 50 years ago, in 1975.
The film fueled a real phobia towards sharks. Painted as “mangiars of men”, animals were victims of a collective psychosis that led to a boom in sports fishing and their progressive decimation. Thus, an entertainment work became one of the factors that contributed to a distorted perception of these predators, essential for the balance of marine ecosystems.
Both Peter Benchley, author of the novel from which the film was taken, and the same Spielberg acknowledged and regretted the negative impact of Lo Squalo on the collective imagination.
Benchley, from the 1980s onwards, devoted himself to the protection of the oceans, stating that he would never write the book if he knew the true nature of the sharks. Spielberg, interviewed by the BBC in 2022, said “I really regret the influence that the Shark had on the decimation of the shark population,” he said, recognizing that the film contributed to a “fishing frenzy” that damaged these animals.
Fifty years after the release, while the film is about to return to the theatres as a timeless masterpiece, it is inevitable to reflect on its role in the construction of an irrational fear that continues to influence public opinion.
Reverse of route
In recent years the perception of sharks, however, is changing, thanks to the tireless work of scientific disseminators who have dedicated their lives to this mission.
Ocean Ramsey, a marine biologist, apneist and conservation activist, dedicated his life to nurture myths about sharks and to show its fundamental role in marine ecosystems. In his documentary “Shark Whisperer: swimming with sharks”, of 2018, distributed by Netflix, through spectacular underwater images and first-person stories, he accompanies the viewer in dives in close contact with large white sharks and other species considered “dangerous”. The aim is to demonstrate that these animals are not bloodthirsty monsters, but regulator predators indispensable for the health of the oceans.
According to scientists attacks remain exceptional events, but fear remains. In 2020, off Bailey Island, a 63-year-old swimmer lost his life following an attack. It is the only mortal case recorded in the area in recent years, but sufficient to leave a deep mark in collective memory. According to the Florida Museum of Natural History statistics, lethal episodes in the modern world do not exceed sixty units. Numbers that resize the alarm, but that little count in front of the idea of bumping into a giant predator of six meters while swimming.
On the beaches of New England there are signs that invite to prudence: never swim alone, never push too far away. Meanwhile, restlessness lives with curiosity. There are those who look for the spectacular image with their cell phone or drone, ready to share it online. Even a dedicated channel was created: the Sharktivity app, where signals, videos and sightings are collected.
Experts hold us to rebate it, the shark is not a hunter of men, but a great predator that follows the instinct and the food chain. Its appearance on the American coasts is not the prelude of a summer nightmare, but the signal of an ecosystem that changes and rebalances.
L’articolo White Shark, boom of sightings on the Atlantic coast proviene da IlNewyorkese.
