White sharks make frequent visits to Maine's coastal waters, new data reveals
Apr. 7—Great white sharks appear to be using the shallow coastal waters next to some of Maine's most popular beaches in late summer while traveling between Cape Cod and Nova Scotia, most likely snacking on the growing seal populations in the Gulf of Maine.
A team of New England scientists documented 107 white sharks off the coast of Maine, ranging from 7 to 16 feet in length, between 2012 and 2023, with most detected within a half mile from shore in less than 65 feet of water, according to a study published last month in Frontiers in Marine Science.
But the total number of white sharks in Maine remains very low compared to known hotspots like Cape Cod or Hilton Head, according to the study's lead author, Matthew Davis of the Maine Department of Marine Resources. On average, Maine beaches had a tagged white nearby less than seven days a year.
The relatively low numbers led the research team to conclude that Maine swimmers aren't at significant risk and, despite the documented presence of white sharks in the Gulf of Maine, there is no justification for regional anti-shark measures, like shark nets, even along Maine's most popular beaches.
While most whites are not tagged and come and go without setting off the acoustic sensors, the data gives researchers a new picture of white shark prevalence and movements along the Maine coast.
"We know a lot about white sharks in Cape Cod and Nova Scotia, but the Gulf of Maine has been sort of a black box of information up until now," Davis said. "This is the first time anyone has been able to track the movements of white sharks over time in the region."
After a white shark killed a woman swimming off Bailey's Island in Harpswell in 2020 —Maine's only fatal shark attack on record — the Maine Department of Marine Resources launched a white shark study team and deployed acoustic sensors along the coast to track the activity of already-tagged white sharks.
The department placed a sensor — think of them like a barcode reader with a big range — near sandy beaches, populated islands and seal haul-out sites, where the favored target of hungry adult white sharks are known to come ashore to rest, molt, breed and have pups.
The sensors show white sharks like the same sandy beaches we do, including Ogunquit, Kennebunk, Higgins and Wells. In an average year, Ogunquit attracts seven tagged sharks over five days, compared to Kennebunk's six sharks in six days, Higgins' five sharks in five days and Wells' five sharks in four days.
And many like to go when we do. Nearly half the sharks were detected near beaches visited during the daytime. Their numbers start to surge in June and drop off in October, preferring water that is between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit, although some will stay through December.
But it is important to note that the average shark detected near a Maine beach only hung out for about 15 minutes, Davis said. The average time spent out in the waters off Maine islands tended to be a little bit longer. In one rare case, a white shark hung out off the coast of Saco for more than a day.
A private beach open to the public at the southwest tip of the Phippsburg peninsula — Head Beach — appears to be the most popular among white sharks, attracting 40 different whites over a three-year period, the study found. Sensors there detected an average of 17 sharks a year over 13 days.
Surprisingly, nearby Popham only averaged three sharks a year, while Reid averaged only two.
Ragged Island in eastern Casco Bay — notable as the one-time summer home of poet Edna St. Vincent Millay — reported the highest number of days of shark activity a year, with 12 sharks visiting over 30 days. Ragged is close to haul-out sites where seals come ashore to rest, breed and have pups.
White sharks are not new to the Gulf of Maine, Davis said. Their numbers here are likely bouncing back because of conservation measures put in place for both white sharks, which were overfished until the 1990s, as well as seals, a favorite prey species for adult whites.
Maine is located between three of the largest gray seal colonies in North America, with pupping surveys indicating a growing population in the region. Within the last decade, the harbor seal population has grown to more than 61,000.
Like many of Maine's terrestrial visitors, white sharks tend to stick to southern and midcoast Maine locations. With one exception, no more than seven sharks were detected at any one Downeast location. Fewer acoustic receivers in these areas might help explain the relatively low detection rates.
The sensors can detect a tagged shark up to 2,000 feet away. That means a tagged shark at some of Maine's longest beaches, like Ogunquit or Wells, could be missed. Most importantly, the study cannot paint a full picture of the white sharks in Maine because most of them aren't tagged at all.
Davis said he would like to deploy more sensors in Downeast waters in the future.
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CNN
5 hours ago
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Are you forgetful? 5 tips to remember the things that matter
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That figure came from a 2009 report by the Global Information Industry Center at the University of California, San Diego. 'Last time I looked it up, the estimate increased even more since,' Ranganath told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta recently on his podcast Chasing Life. Ranganath directs the Dynamic Memory Lab at the University of California, Davis, where he is also a professor of psychology and neuroscience. Far from remembering all this information, he said the science of memory shows that humans are designed to forget. In fact, Ranganath's book references the work of cognitive psychologist George Miller, who concluded in a 1956 paper that we can only keep seven items (plus or minus two) in mind at a time. (Subsequent research, Ranganath wrote, shows the number to be closer to three or four items.) 'I think one of the misconceptions out there … is that we're supposed to be taking everything in that's around us,' he said. 'In fact, our brains really operate on this principle of economy: to get as little information in as possible and to make as much of that information.' You can learn more about the nature of memory by listening to the podcast's full episode here. 'It's all about this economy and being able to use attention as this big filter, to be able to focus on the things that are most important,' he said. 'Sometimes it's the things that you expect, and sometimes it's the stuff that violates your expectations — and that's where there's the most meaning,' he said. 'But it also means that we miss things sometimes, and we end up with frustration because our attention was directed at the wrong place at the wrong time.' Improving memory isn't about trying to stuff more information inside your head. 'The thing that I like to say is: Don't try to remember more, remember better,' Ranganath said. 'Sometimes remembering better means memorizing less.' One way to do so, Ranganath said, is with a process called chunking — or grouping many things into one. We remember the alphabet this way as well as our Social Security number and the names of the Great Lakes (the acronym HOMES for Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior). By grouping these items, you reduce the number of things you have to remember: Instead of 26 separate items, the alphabet becomes one. Similarly, memory athletes — who compete to memorize as many digits of pi as possible or the order of a deck of cards — 'develop strategies that allow them to meaningfully slot the information that they're trying to remember into this larger structure so that 10 things can become one thing,' Ranganath said. What can you do if you struggle with forgetfulness? Here are Ranganath's five tricks to help form memories for events that matter. All you have to is remember to 'call a MEDIC!' he said via email. Attach what you want to remember to something of importance. 'You can remember information like names if you can tie them into information that has meaning to you,' he said. For instance, if you are a fan of Greek mythology, you can link Ranganath's first name, Charan, to Charon, the ferryman of the underworld who, for a price, transports the souls of the dead across the River Styx. 'And (you can) imagine me ferrying people across the river of the dead,' he said. Such vivid imagery can help you remember a name. Test yourself. Even if you make a mistake, Ranganath said trial and error is one of the best ways to remember something. 'If you're learning a new name or foreign language word, take a guess about what the name could be or guess about the meaning of the word,' he said. When you learn the answer, he said, the brain can 'tweak that memory to make sure it is more closely associated with the right answer and less likely to be associated with competing answers.' Make it pop. 'Just as it's easier to find a hot pink Post-it note on a desk full of yellow notes, it's easier to find memories that have features (that) stand out from other memories,' Ranganath said. For example, 'When you put down your keys, take a moment to attend to a detail like a sound or a unique visual cue,' he said. It will go a long way toward helping you remember where you put them, he said, as you're frantically scrambling to get out the door. Take advantage of the fact that the brain has adapted to flag moments that are significant. 'We retain memories for events that are important — in a biological sense,' Ranganath said. 'When we have experiences that are rewarding, scary or embarrassing, chemicals like dopamine, noradrenaline or serotonin are released, promoting plasticity.' These neurotransmitters help cement the experience in your memory a bit more. Curiosity can also play a role. 'We have found that being curious has a similar effect on memory,' he said, noting that curiosity activates 'dopamine-carrying areas of the brain' and promotes learning. 'So, before you learn, get curious about the subject!' he said. Use your senses to do a little time traveling. 'Our memories for events, or episodic memories, are tied to where and when the event took place,' Ranganath said. 'That's why hearing a song that played during your summer abroad in college or smelling food that your grandmother used to make can immediately transport you back in time.' 'If you are trying to recall a past event, imagine yourself in that place and time — how you felt, what you were thinking about, the sights and sounds of the place — and you'll find yourself pulling up a lot,' he said. We hope these five tips help you remember more and memorize less. Listen to the full episode here. And join us next Tuesday for a new episode of the Chasing Life. CNN Audio's Sofía Sanchez contributed to this report.
CNN
5 hours ago
- CNN
Are you forgetful? 5 tips to remember the things that matter
Editor's note: The podcast Chasing Life With Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores the medical science behind some of life's mysteries big and small. You can listen to episodes here. (CNN) — Most of us are familiar with the frustration of forgetting — whether it's struggling with a word on the tip of the tongue, misplacing important items such as keys or glasses, or even disremembering why you came into a room. How can we do anything but forget — especially in a time in which we are subjected to a firehose of information every waking minute, between our life in the physical world and what comes at us electronically via smartphones, TVs, computers and more? The average American is exposed to an estimated 34 gigabytes — or 11.8 hours' worth — of information every day, Dr. Charan Ranganath wrote in his most recent book, 'Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory's Power to Hold on to What Matters.' That figure came from a 2009 report by the Global Information Industry Center at the University of California, San Diego. 'Last time I looked it up, the estimate increased even more since,' Ranganath told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta recently on his podcast Chasing Life. Ranganath directs the Dynamic Memory Lab at the University of California, Davis, where he is also a professor of psychology and neuroscience. Far from remembering all this information, he said the science of memory shows that humans are designed to forget. In fact, Ranganath's book references the work of cognitive psychologist George Miller, who concluded in a 1956 paper that we can only keep seven items (plus or minus two) in mind at a time. (Subsequent research, Ranganath wrote, shows the number to be closer to three or four items.) 'I think one of the misconceptions out there … is that we're supposed to be taking everything in that's around us,' he said. 'In fact, our brains really operate on this principle of economy: to get as little information in as possible and to make as much of that information.' You can learn more about the nature of memory by listening to the podcast's full episode here. 'It's all about this economy and being able to use attention as this big filter, to be able to focus on the things that are most important,' he said. 'Sometimes it's the things that you expect, and sometimes it's the stuff that violates your expectations — and that's where there's the most meaning,' he said. 'But it also means that we miss things sometimes, and we end up with frustration because our attention was directed at the wrong place at the wrong time.' Improving memory isn't about trying to stuff more information inside your head. 'The thing that I like to say is: Don't try to remember more, remember better,' Ranganath said. 'Sometimes remembering better means memorizing less.' One way to do so, Ranganath said, is with a process called chunking — or grouping many things into one. We remember the alphabet this way as well as our Social Security number and the names of the Great Lakes (the acronym HOMES for Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior). By grouping these items, you reduce the number of things you have to remember: Instead of 26 separate items, the alphabet becomes one. Similarly, memory athletes — who compete to memorize as many digits of pi as possible or the order of a deck of cards — 'develop strategies that allow them to meaningfully slot the information that they're trying to remember into this larger structure so that 10 things can become one thing,' Ranganath said. What can you do if you struggle with forgetfulness? Here are Ranganath's five tricks to help form memories for events that matter. All you have to is remember to 'call a MEDIC!' he said via email. Attach what you want to remember to something of importance. 'You can remember information like names if you can tie them into information that has meaning to you,' he said. For instance, if you are a fan of Greek mythology, you can link Ranganath's first name, Charan, to Charon, the ferryman of the underworld who, for a price, transports the souls of the dead across the River Styx. 'And (you can) imagine me ferrying people across the river of the dead,' he said. Such vivid imagery can help you remember a name. Test yourself. Even if you make a mistake, Ranganath said trial and error is one of the best ways to remember something. 'If you're learning a new name or foreign language word, take a guess about what the name could be or guess about the meaning of the word,' he said. When you learn the answer, he said, the brain can 'tweak that memory to make sure it is more closely associated with the right answer and less likely to be associated with competing answers.' Make it pop. 'Just as it's easier to find a hot pink Post-it note on a desk full of yellow notes, it's easier to find memories that have features (that) stand out from other memories,' Ranganath said. For example, 'When you put down your keys, take a moment to attend to a detail like a sound or a unique visual cue,' he said. It will go a long way toward helping you remember where you put them, he said, as you're frantically scrambling to get out the door. Take advantage of the fact that the brain has adapted to flag moments that are significant. 'We retain memories for events that are important — in a biological sense,' Ranganath said. 'When we have experiences that are rewarding, scary or embarrassing, chemicals like dopamine, noradrenaline or serotonin are released, promoting plasticity.' These neurotransmitters help cement the experience in your memory a bit more. Curiosity can also play a role. 'We have found that being curious has a similar effect on memory,' he said, noting that curiosity activates 'dopamine-carrying areas of the brain' and promotes learning. 'So, before you learn, get curious about the subject!' he said. Use your senses to do a little time traveling. 'Our memories for events, or episodic memories, are tied to where and when the event took place,' Ranganath said. 'That's why hearing a song that played during your summer abroad in college or smelling food that your grandmother used to make can immediately transport you back in time.' 'If you are trying to recall a past event, imagine yourself in that place and time — how you felt, what you were thinking about, the sights and sounds of the place — and you'll find yourself pulling up a lot,' he said. We hope these five tips help you remember more and memorize less. Listen to the full episode here. And join us next Tuesday for a new episode of the Chasing Life. CNN Audio's Sofía Sanchez contributed to this report.
