Great white sharks are not considered common in Maine, but warming temperatures have pushed them farther north.In March of 2025, a group of New England-based researchers found that 107 great white sharks have been spotted off the Maine coast after being tracked from Cape Cod.Their research was published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science. Between 2012 and 2023, researchers started tracking white sharks, following their movements using acoustic receivers. Do you know what to do if you happen to catch one while fishing?Several white sharks have been tracked in the Gulf of Maine already in 2026, but, so far, none close to shore in Maine, though there have been other shark species spotted along the coast, including a basking shark in Pepperell Cove in Kittery.In 2025, there were several white sharks spotted along the Maine coast, including in Scarborough, Harpswell, and Ogunquit.However, white sharks have been spotted at the shore in Massachusetts, including Nantucket.On June 7, Elliot Sudal, a veteran angler and boat captain, reeled in the nearly nine-foot shark — also commonly known as a great white shark or a great white — on Nantucket. White sharks are a protected species in the U.S. and must be released immediately when accidentally caught.That presents a nasty problem for a fisherman because the white shark is a formidable apex predator. Sudal, who caught the shark while fishing from shore, decided to use his encounter to demonstrate how to respond to such a situation.Sudal posted a video of himself removing the hook to his social media accounts. In the video, Sudal climbs onto the back of the shark, secures the fish in the surf, and removes the hook from its mouth. By the end of the short video, the shark is back in the water.White sharks typically have about 300 teeth arranged into five rows, so speed was key.“Hooks out and back on her way in 15 seconds, not sure how to do it better,” Sudal wrote in an Instagram post that included a video of the shark release.Sudal has caught and tagged hundreds of sharks over the years. He said in a social media post that this month’s encounter with a white shark was the first time he has ever caught one of them in more than a decade of the work.Sudal’s practices have sometimes attracted the attention of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, such as in 2017, when the agency investigated his handling of a smalltooth sawfish, an endangered species, in Florida. The agency said in 2018 that it sent Sudal a letter “informing him of the Endangered Species Act issues and the safe handling protocol for sawfish.”White sharks are not listed under the federal Endangered Species Act, but are subject to special federal protections. The International Union for Conservation of Nature considers them vulnerable globally.Sightings of white sharks off New England have ticked up in recent years, and some scientists have pinned that to the greater availability of the seals that they prey on. Dangerous encounters between white sharks and humans are extremely rare, and only a few dozen fatal white shark bites on people have ever been recorded.In July of 2020, a white shark attacked and killed a woman near Bailey Island in Harpswell.Witnesses told Marine Patrol that Julie Dimperio Holowach, 63, of New York City, was swimming near White Sails Lane and appeared to be injured by a shark. The attack happened at about 3:30 p.m. about 20 yards offshore. Holowach was swimming with her daughter who was not injured. Officials said Holowach was wearing a wetsuit when she was attacked by the shark.The Maine Marine Patrol said a tooth fragment recovered confirmed that Holowach was attacked by a great white shark.Reporting by the Associated Press was used in this report.
BILLERICA, Mass. —
Great white sharks are not considered common in Maine, but warming temperatures have pushed them farther north.
In March of 2025, a group of New England-based researchers found that 107 great white sharks have been spotted off the Maine coast after being tracked from Cape Cod.
Their research was published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.
Between 2012 and 2023, researchers started tracking white sharks, following their movements using acoustic receivers. Do you know what to do if you happen to catch one while fishing?
Several white sharks have been tracked in the Gulf of Maine already in 2026, but, so far, none close to shore in Maine, though there have been other shark species spotted along the coast, including a basking shark in Pepperell Cove in Kittery.
In 2025, there were several white sharks spotted along the Maine coast, including in Scarborough, Harpswell, and Ogunquit.
However, white sharks have been spotted at the shore in Massachusetts, including Nantucket.
On June 7, Elliot Sudal, a veteran angler and boat captain, reeled in the nearly nine-foot shark — also commonly known as a great white shark or a great white — on Nantucket. White sharks are a protected species in the U.S. and must be released immediately when accidentally caught.
That presents a nasty problem for a fisherman because the white shark is a formidable apex predator. Sudal, who caught the shark while fishing from shore, decided to use his encounter to demonstrate how to respond to such a situation.
Sudal posted a video of himself removing the hook to his social media accounts. In the video, Sudal climbs onto the back of the shark, secures the fish in the surf, and removes the hook from its mouth. By the end of the short video, the shark is back in the water.
White sharks typically have about 300 teeth arranged into five rows, so speed was key.
“Hooks out and back on her way in 15 seconds, not sure how to do it better,” Sudal wrote in an Instagram post that included a video of the shark release.
Sudal has caught and tagged hundreds of sharks over the years. He said in a social media post that this month’s encounter with a white shark was the first time he has ever caught one of them in more than a decade of the work.
Sudal’s practices have sometimes attracted the attention of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, such as in 2017, when the agency investigated his handling of a smalltooth sawfish, an endangered species, in Florida. The agency said in 2018 that it sent Sudal a letter “informing him of the Endangered Species Act issues and the safe handling protocol for sawfish.”
White sharks are not listed under the federal Endangered Species Act, but are subject to special federal protections. The International Union for Conservation of Nature considers them vulnerable globally.
Sightings of white sharks off New England have ticked up in recent years, and some scientists have pinned that to the greater availability of the seals that they prey on. Dangerous encounters between white sharks and humans are extremely rare, and only a few dozen fatal white shark bites on people have ever been recorded.
In July of 2020, a white shark attacked and killed a woman near Bailey Island in Harpswell.
Witnesses told Marine Patrol that Julie Dimperio Holowach, 63, of New York City, was swimming near White Sails Lane and appeared to be injured by a shark.
The attack happened at about 3:30 p.m. about 20 yards offshore. Holowach was swimming with her daughter who was not injured. Officials said Holowach was wearing a wetsuit when she was attacked by the shark.
The Maine Marine Patrol said a tooth fragment recovered confirmed that Holowach was attacked by a great white shark.
Reporting by the Associated Press was used in this report.