fbpx

Are Great Whites Lurking in Our Waters?

shark warningOf all the high-season travelers to escape to South Florida this winter, just one ventured some 2,200 miles only to set off alarms for swimming in the ocean. That’s because Acadia—a 1,602-pound female great white shark (nearly 11 feet long), originally tagged by the data-driven nonprofit organization Ocearch 14 months earlier in Nova Scotia, Canada—pinged in mid-January while off the coast of the Florida Keys.

That same month, fishermen on a charter boat departing out of Fort Lauderdale caught (and released) a 13-foot great white. In October 2019, there was yet another great white sighting—this one, a 2,000-pounder swimming off Key West.

They’re the kinds of stories that might be shared on social media—accompanied by John Williams’ Academy Award-winning score from the movie Jaws. However, in the bigger picture, are these simply isolated incidents? Or do we need a bigger boat?

Could it be that great white sharks are starting to call South Florida home?

Bob Hueter, chief scientist for Ocearch, an organization that uses global-positioning tags to track travel patterns of great white sharks and collect data, suggests that it may be a matter of perception. A better question, he says, might be, “Are we seeing more great white sharks in South Florida than before?”

Great whites, similar to their human snowbird counterparts, always migrate south from the northwest Atlantic Ocean as water temperatures change. The difference, Hueter says, is that there’s more awareness of the predatory fish.

“More people in the water have smartphones, GoPros and other devices that allow for recordings of great white sharks,” Hueter says. “Those are all going out on social media and that gives the perception that there are more great whites [off the coasts of Florida] than ever before.”

What about climate change contributing to more great whites in South Florida waters?

Neil Hammerschlag, director of the Shark Research & Conservation Program at the University of Miami, researches the effects on shark species of global change events, including urbanization, light pollution, chemical pollution and boat disturbance—all of which might influence shark migration.

“It’s certainly within the realm of possibility that changes in ocean climate could be impacting their movements, but there is no evidence for it right now,” Hammerschlag says.

Farther north, Ocearch has discovered great whites in higher abundance than previously recorded in Nova Scotia, where global warming could be playing a role. “This is in terms of them spending more time in these northern—and what used to be cooler—waters,” Hueter notes.

“[But] I would discount ocean warming for great white sharks in Florida waters,” he says. “They aren’t particularly tropical; they live in more cool-to-temperate waters. That’s not going to bring more sharks to Florida by itself.”

That said, there is another factor connected to increased sightings on which all shark experts can agree. After decades of decline, the great white shark population along the East Coast of the U.S. slowly has been increasing since the late 1990s. Hueter credits stronger protection of the species through shark conservation measures.

Since 1997, the great white population has been protected in American Atlantic waters. Anglers cannot catch and kill the sharks; if they do hook one, the great white must be released back into the ocean. Thanks to the conservation efforts, the great white population is increasing in the Northwest Atlantic—and beyond. “We’re tracking great white sharks from offshore waters along the eastern Gulf of Mexico to near-shore waters along Florida’s Atlantic coast,” Hueter says. “[We’re also tracking them] all the way up the U.S. and Canadian continental shelf, as far north as Newfoundland.”

However, people shouldn’t panic, he cautions. “It’s not that we will have thousands of great white sharks off the beach overnight. They don’t reproduce that way,” says Hueter, who notes that the growing great white community is helping to put the ocean back into balance.

They also don’t attack humans in the way that Jaws would lead you to believe. The International Shark Attack File confirmed great white sharks were involved in at least 16 unprovoked bites in 2020, including six of the year’s 10 fatalities: four in Australia, one in California and one in Maine. None in Florida.

While that sounds like a significant number, think about it this way. According to research done by the ISAF, the odds of dying from any shark bite are 1 in 3,748,067.

You May Also Like
Yacht Controller System to Debut at Miami International Boat Show

The Yacht Group plans to make a splash at the 2023 Discover Boating™ Miami International Boat Show in February with the debut of its Yacht Controller Maximo™ and Yacht Controller Supremo™

Read More
Yacht Haven Park and Marina in Fort Lauderdale Undergoes Luxurious Upgrades and Renovations

Yacht Haven Park and Marina in Fort Lauderdale recently underwent numerous luxurious renovations and upgrades to transform into one of the nation’s premier motorcoach and yachting destinations. The luxury motorcoach and

Read More
Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show Returns for 63rd Edition

The 63rd Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) will take place across five days at seven locations in Broward, including the Broward County Convention Center (BCCC) and the Bahia Mar Yachting Center. The yearly show,

Read More
Report Reveals 2022 Palm Beach International Boat Show Generated Over $700 Million in Sales

Exhibitors at the 40th Palm Beach International Boat Show of the show brought in $725 million in sales, according to an economic impact report conducted by Thomas J. Murray &

Read More
Other Posts
Miami International Boat Show Generated Over $955 Million in 2022

In February, the 2022 Discover Boating® Miami International Boat Show® helped cement its status as a critical economic engine and tourism booster for Florida after the show’s producers revealed vast

Read More
Boatsetter Aims to Bring Yachting to the Masses

“Boating is one of those experiences everyone should be able to have,” says Jaclyn Baumgarten, CEO and co-founder of the online marketplace Boatsetter. So, in an effort to share her

Read More
Sea Tow Forecasts Summer Boating Trends From Annual Member Survey

To help gauge how boaters feel about recent trends in the marine industry and how fuel prices impact their boating habits, Sea Tow released its Spring 2022 findings from its annual member

Read More
Informa Markets Expands Corporate Sustainability Efforts in South Florida

Informa Markets’ commitment to producing some of South Florida’s top boating and yachting events also extends to conservation efforts to help strengthen and protect Florida’s natural resources and marine life. Informa

Read More

Drew Limsky

Drew Limsky

Editor-in-Chief

BIOGRAPHY

Drew Limsky joined Lifestyle Media Group in August 2020 as Editor-in-Chief of South Florida Business & Wealth. His first issue of SFBW, October 2020, heralded a reimagined structure, with new content categories and a slew of fresh visual themes. “As sort of a cross between Forbes and Robb Report, with a dash of GQ and Vogue,” Limsky says, “SFBW reflects South Florida’s increasingly sophisticated and dynamic business and cultural landscape.”

Limsky, an avid traveler, swimmer and film buff who holds a law degree and Ph.D. from New York University, likes to say, “I’m a doctor, but I can’t operate—except on your brand.” He wrote his dissertation on the nonfiction work of Joan Didion. Prior to that, Limsky received his B.A. in English, summa cum laude, from Emory University and earned his M.A. in literature at American University in connection with a Masters Scholar Award fellowship.

Limsky came to SFBW at the apex of a storied career in journalism and publishing that includes six previous lead editorial roles, including for some of the world’s best-known brands. He served as global editor-in-chief of Lexus magazine, founding editor-in-chief of custom lifestyle magazines for Cadillac and Holland America Line, and was the founding editor-in-chief of Modern Luxury Interiors South Florida. He also was the executive editor for B2B magazines for Acura and Honda Financial Services, and he served as travel editor for Conde Nast. Magazines under Limsky’s editorship have garnered more than 75 industry awards.

He has also written for many of the country’s top newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Boston Globe, USA Today, Worth, Robb Report, Afar, Time Out New York, National Geographic Traveler, Men’s Journal, Ritz-Carlton, Elite Traveler, Florida Design, Metropolis and Architectural Digest Mexico. His other clients have included Four Seasons, Acqualina Resort & Residences, Yahoo!, American Airlines, Wynn, Douglas Elliman and Corcoran. As an adjunct assistant professor, Limsky has taught journalism, film and creative writing at the City University of New York, Pace University, American University and other colleges.