Thread by @nytimes

Over the past decade, the waters around Cape Cod have become host to one of the densest seasonal concentrations of adult white sharks in the world. nyti.ms/3jm55lY

To conservationists, sharks on Cape Cod's beaches are a success story at a time when many wildlife species are depleted. But the sharks’ summer residency in New England overlaps with tourist season at one of the Northeast’s most coveted recreational areas.nytimes.com/interactive/20…

The sharks are hunting in remarkably shallow water, at times within feet of Cape Cod's beaches. This puts large numbers of people in close contact with a fast and efficient megapredator.
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Risk of attack remains low. But the quantity of large sharks on Cape Cod, and fears that have accompanied them, have caused a cultural trauma, reshaping how people experience the ocean and forcing coastal communities into a period of adaptation.
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Many people have grudgingly yielded the water while scientists study the animals and public officials haltingly evaluate technologies and human behaviors that could mitigate risk. All the while, they anticipate the next shark attack.
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Not long ago,“the greatest threat on the Cape was ticks. Now we have to rethink how we enter the water, as we have an apex predator that has returned,” says Lisa Sette, a biologist.
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White sharks are hunting along Cape Cod's beaches. What will it take to keep people safe? Read @cjchivers’ cover story in @NYTMag.
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