For tourists seeking a thrill, Martha鈥檚 Vineyard probably isn鈥檛 the first destination that comes to mind. Until now (queue John Williams鈥檚聽).听
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently released a聽聽finding that after decades of decline, great white shark populations are surging along the eastern shores of Canada and the United States. , more than 40 shark sightings were reported in the past two years. Prior to 2004, sightings hovered around two per year.听Increased conservation efforts and seal populations have been credited with the related influx of great white sharks in the Cape Cod area.听
The spike in shark sightings, along with the area鈥檚 connection to Steven Spielberg鈥檚聽Jaws, has caused summer tourism to boom. The 1975 classic film, shot in Martha鈥檚 Vineyard, has been screened in local theaters all summer. Justin Labdon, owner of the Cape Cod Beach Chair Company, can鈥檛 keep enough shark paraphernalia on the shelves, according to the . 鈥淚 mean, truthfully, we鈥檝e probably grown about 500 percent in terms of the sale of our shark apparel.鈥
Visitors can sip on shark-themed beverages while taking boat trips with local outfitters to see the seals鈥攁nd maybe even a dorsal fin sticking out of the water. Beats mini golf, right?
https://youtube.com/watch?v=KoudIpPZcq8%3Frel%3D0