Ella Nilsen: Sidebar - "Shark Attack in NH Seacoast Area Called Unlikely"

Ella Nilsen

ENGL 621 – “Shark Attack in New Hampshire Coastal Waters Deemed Unlikely”

12/5/11

In light of the recent shark attacks on Amity Island in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, local residents on the seacoast of New Hampshire are worried about the possibility of a shark attack in Atlantic waters closer to home.

The tragic deaths of 17-year-old Christine Watson and 10-year-old Alex Kintner on Sunday night and Monday afternoon stunned the Amity area and prompted fears of a shark getting even further north.

However, local experts maintain that a shark attack in New Hampshire waters is almost nonexistent.

“I’d say it’s slim to none,” said Elizabeth Fairchild, Professor of Marine Biology at the University of New Hampshire in an email interview.

Fairchild added, “We have occasional sightings of basking sharks (plankton eating sharks) and spiny dogfish are caught regularly here in the summer. Dogfish are very small sharks and not a risk to people.”

Even though the colder waters of New Hampshire and Maine are free of the larger shark such as the blue, mako, hammerhead, and great white, scientists in the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries have recorded instances of these sharks off the coast of Massachusetts in May and June, when waters grow warmer.

“Massachusetts represents the northernmost range for several species of sharks,” says the site, adding, “Although rare, the great white shark is know to visit New England waters, keeping to itself despite its heinous reputation.”

Nevertheless, seacoast residents of New Hampshire should know that their chances of being bitten by a shark are very slim.  Not only will the cold New Hampshire coastal waters deter sharks, but the chances of fatality due to a shark-bite are incredibly rare, just one in 11.5 million. 

Swimmers on the New Hampshire coast should breath easy for now, even as those in Amity mourn the fatalities and stay away from the beach.