Shark sightings have spiked due to ultra-high ocean temperatures that are luring these great whites to near-shore waters in the Northeastern United States, experts say.
A New Jersey fisherman caught a great white shark earlier this month when fishing near Seaside Heights, N.J.
The 10 ft long predator may not have been the size of the fictional shark in "Jaws," but it was still pretty darn thrilling for fisherman Tim Brindley.
"I look down, and it was big. It was so big," Brindley said.
The shark was not alive when Brindley pulled it from the Barnegat Inlet waters, located 42 miles southeast of Seaside Heights, though it was draining fluids, such as blood.
Brindley, who said he's been fishing off Barnegat Light for more than four decades, and has caught anything from an airplane propeller and car tires to torpedo rays, was in awe with his find.
"Oh my God. It's a great white shark," said Brindley, who released the shark back into waters with his first mate, but made sure he took a few photos to capture the Kodak moment.
According to experts, the recent spike in shark sightings on Long Island, Cape Cod and Maine is due in part to the ultra-high ocean temperatures.
Rutgers University Professor Thomas Grothues said the unusually warm Atlantic waters are enhancing the northward migrations.
The warmer ocean temperatures are luring sharks to near-shore waters in the Northeastern United States, he said. They are also a contributing factor to the recent number of tropical storms.
Last month, a great white shark killed a 63-year-old New York woman in Maine.
It was the first shark fatality in the state's history and the only other confirmed shark attack in 10 years, according to The Maine Department of Environmental Resources.
The 2020 Shark Attack Map, have reported 16 shark attacks in the United States. Two of those were fatal, including the N.Y. woman and a California man.
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