Great White North: Why more sharks are heading to Canada
As climate change disrupts ocean temperatures, a significant trend is emerging: more sharks are heading north into Canadian waters. And experts say Canadians may need to get used to these new marine neighbours as sightings increase along the coast.
This northward shift includes great white sharks, tiger sharks and blacktip sharks, which are now appearing closer to shore along the eastern seaboard in Canada.
As the number of sharks increases, so does the frequency of human-shark interactions.
“A lot of these sharks are fairly close to the beach where the people are and that’s something I would encourage people to be aware of,” warned Dr. Stephen Kajiura, a professor in the department of biological sciences at Florida Atlantic University.
“They’re cruising in the water and you’re seeing more and more sharks coming farther and farther north than ever before.”
Once a rare sight in frigid northern waters, sharks are becoming increasingly common. Growing evidence suggests a rise in great white shark populations, specifically along Canada’s East Coast.
Aside from more frequent sightings, there have been reports in Nova Scotia of two shark attacks in recent years, one of which injured a swimmer and another that killed a dog.
Shark sightings are becoming so common that Neil Hammerschlag, the executive director of the Shark Research Foundation and president of Atlantic Shark Expeditions, said Nova Scotia may soon start putting warning signs on beaches.
Although there are more sharks in Canadian waters, he stressed that this is a sign of a healthy ecosystem, as a large prey population is needed to support sharks.
“We know they’ve been overfished, historically, where the numbers plummeted. So to start seeing more numbers is a good
Read more on globalnews.ca
