Sandbar sharks are making waves across Southern New England and Long Island’s South Shore this summer as numbers have surged. Underwater video shows a brown shark—also known as a sandbar shark—swimming off Block Island, Rhode Island.
THE TAKEAWAY
- Sandbar shark numbers have increased in New England.
- The species has been protected since 2009 due to overfishing.
- Within the U.S., sandbar sharks most commonly reside between Massachusetts and Florida.
BLOCK ISLAND, R.I. — A significant increase in sandbar sharks is making waves this summer across southern New England and Long Island’s South Shore.
Sandbar shark swimming off Block Island, Rhode Island.
(Atlantic Shark Institute, Tom Fetherston, Paul James, Ella Schubert, Seton Smith, Rhea Burmeister)
The uptick has fishermen scrambling, as the predators — commonly known as brown sharks — are repeatedly beating anglers to their catch before they can be brought to the boat, according to the Atlantic Shark Institute.
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“True to their name, sandbar sharks prefer sandy or muddy areas in temperate and tropical waters throughout the world,” according to NOAA Fisheries.
Within the U.S., sandbar sharks most commonly reside between Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and Florida.
Recent underwater video from the Atlantic Shark Institute’s baited remote underwater video system research shows a sandbar shark swimming off Block Island, Rhode Island.
Sandbar shark swimming off Block Island, Rhode Island.
(Atlantic Shark Institute, Tom Fetherston, Paul James, Ella Schubert, Seton Smith, Rhea Burmeister)
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Since 2009, this species of shark has been protected in the U.S. following population declines due to significant overfishing.
“They are one of two shark species that evidence suggests can learn from previous interactions with anglers and many have found that to be true this season,” the institute said.
That learned behavior could explain why they’ve associated boats with meals this summer.
Sandbar shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus). Wild life animal.
(wrangel / Getty Images)
Highlighting the success of these protective measures, a 2024 study by the New England Aquarium said that “the strong regulations seem to have worked as designed and there is growing evidence that the sandbar shark population has rebounded.”
The Atlantic Shark Institute said the sandbar shark population is currently being reassessed, with final results expected in early 2027. The institute plans to share those findings once they become available.
