Shark sightings climb along Maine's southern coast as experts weigh causes

Police in Scarborough have logged a growing number of white shark sightings this summer, with several videos captured near Pine Point Beach and later near Scarborough Beach State Park and Higgins Beach. Officials advise swimmers to avoid dawn and dusk, stay in shallow water, and keep wounds covered. Scientists explain that better weather has drawn more beachgoers and drone operators, inflating sighting reports, but also point to a gradual rebound in white shark numbers following decades of protection and an expanding seal population that serves as prey.

Additional food sources such as striped bass and Atlantic menhaden support juvenile sharks, and rising ocean temperatures may keep the predators in the Gulf longer. The situation is framed as a sign of ecological recovery, though experts caution that more data are needed to confirm a true population rise.