How a booming coastal escape learned to coexist with the ocean’s top predator
Cape Cod's tourism economy surged to nearly $2.8 billion as great white sharks fuel a booming ecotourism industry with charter trips and citizen science.
TL;DR
- Cape Cod's tourism economy has grown significantly, with the presence of great white sharks contributing to this increase.
- A new ecotourism industry has emerged, offering shark-spotting charter trips that include citizen science components.
- The increase in great white sharks is attributed to the recovery of the local gray seal population following the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972.
- Safety measures such as shark warning signs, 'Stop the Bleed' kits, and a shark-sighting app (Sharktivity) are in place.
- While the sharks' presence has boosted tourism and created new revenue streams, there have been documented shark bites, including one fatality in 2018.
- Demand for swimming pools has reportedly spiked, with some pool builders advertising 'shark free swimming'.