Maine May Now be Home to the Most Great White Sharks on the East Coast

As a child of the 70's I was terrified to swim in the ocean.

If you're anywhere near my age, you probably felt the same way. I actually saw Jaws in the theater, so my perception of how big the shark actually was, was completely thrown into massive amounts of disproportion due to child-fear. I assumed if you just hopped in the ocean, it meant trouble. I'm surprised I'd even get in the tub I was so scared.

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As I got older, I was fascinated by sharks, and like most, became an avid devotee of Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. In junior high, I'd sit and watch most of it with my grandfather, who was also intrigued by the giant fishies. But the one thing that used to help me sleep at night, was that I assumed Great Whites were nowhere near here. But, it turns out that I couldn't have been more wrong.

Maine could actually be home to the largest breeding territory on the East Coast.

Yup, in the area of Passamaquoddy Bay, studies are showing a pretty significant uptick in the number of sightings and such. But not only that, they're showing the kinds of behavior that could indicate they're making this the spot to make little baby sharks. They also happen to be the kinds of behavior that would instantly scare most folks.

There have been reports of breaching, following boats, tail-slapping, and staying in stationary positions for long periods of time. All things which could indicate that sharks are either trying to claim territory, or warn others to stay clear. Or they could also be trying to impress females.

How many sharks could be off our coast?

According to the BDN, one Canadian scientist believes there could be as many as 1,000 of them off the coast of Maine. But, that may not be year-round. It's possible they may move around more outside of mating season. Others believe the numbers are too hard to truly estimate, but they all agree the number of sightings is way up.

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So whatever solace I may have taken in the past, thinking that Maine is basically safe from Great Whites, nope. That peace of mind is officially gone. However, it's always good to remember, we're not tasty, and Great Whites rarely engage with humans. It happens, but it's not at all common. So maybe continue to enjoy swimming in the ocean, just keep your eye on the surface...