BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 8, 2020
My life is at its most harmonious floating in Middle Bay, settling my heart rate after the swim from the mainland. I am a biologist so, in the aftermath of the recent fatal attack, I turned to the scientific literature to understand white sharks. The white shark recovery can probably be attributed to legal protections for the sharks themselves combined with gains in the populations of seals and other prey. Thus, any recent increases in our white shark numbers are the result of the success of conservation measures and humankind’s inability to limit global change that warms our waters, creating more favorable habitat. Human communities live among apex predators the world over. We can look to communities elsewhere for guidance on how we can come to terms with the associated risk and respect white sharks for the extraordinary creatures they are. ~ Barry Logan of Brunswick is a professor of biology at Bowdoin College