A juvenile great white shark has been filmed underwater ripping a hooked striped bass off a fishing line near Cape Cod, in what a Massachusetts shark scientist says is the first underwater footage of the behavior he has seen. National Geographic photographer Brian Skerry captured the clip on June 29 near Rock Harbor in Orleans, National Geographic reported on Oct. 1.

The behavior, known as depredation, is not new to local charter captains. What the footage adds is a close view of how quickly and deliberately it happens.

That matters for the thousands of anglers who fish Cape Cod waters each season. If sharks increasingly connect boats and fishing activity with food, they may spend more time near people.

A Split-Second Grab Caught on Camera

The strike was over almost before it began. "It was so sudden, it wasn't even a second. She just rocketed through, and then it was over," Skerry said, according to Surfer.

Skerry said the shark seemed to avoid the hook. "She grabs it from the side, and it almost seems intentional that she's not grabbing where the lure is," he told PetaPixel. Researchers have not studied whether white sharks deliberately avoid hooks, so that observation remains anecdotal.

Massachusetts shark scientist Greg Skomal told National Geographic he had never before seen underwater footage documenting white shark depredation. The clip was filmed as part of Skerry's long-running work on Cape Cod's recovering shark population.

Sharks May Be Learning to Follow Boats

Skomal explained why sharks might keep returning. "Sharks are creatures of habit, so if a shark successfully feeds in an area where it can associate the capture of those fish with, say, engine sounds, they can become trained almost like a dog," he said, as quoted by NBC Boston.

Charter captains describe exactly that pattern. Captain Hap Farrell, who has run trips for decades, told National Geographic he saw more than 50 depredations this summer, and fellow captain Doug Brown counted about 15 of his own. Anglers often reel in nothing but a fish head.

Skomal noted that some fishermen blame the restoration of shark populations for their losses, and he said solving depredation will be hard. "It's basically the same as mitigating shark bites on humans, so it's going to be very difficult,"he told National Geographic.

The evidence here is observational. The footage and captains' reports show the behavior is happening and may be increasing, but no study has yet measured how widespread it is or confirmed that sharks are learning it from fishing boats.

Gray Seals Brought White Sharks Back to the Cape

The sharks are on Cape Cod because their main prey came back first. Gray seals were once hunted heavily in New England but have recovered under federal protection. National Geographic reported that roughly 30,000 to 50,000 gray seals now live in Cape Cod waters, and the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy attributes the rise in white sharks to that seal boom, ABC News reported.

About 800 individual white sharks were identified visiting Cape Cod between 2015 and 2018, according to National Geographic. Many are juveniles still learning to hunt, which may make an easy, struggling fish on a line especially appealing. Striped bass are also among the most popular sport fish on the Cape, so the overlap between anglers and young sharks is greatest in the same shallow, productive waters both target in summer and early fall.

Those encounters have occasionally been deadly. National Geographic noted that the last fatal white shark attack on Cape Cod occurred in 2018. White sharks are also federally protected, which means they cannot be harvested, and anglers who hook one accidentally must release it.

Depredation also has a cost for the fishing community. Charter captains lose fish and gear, and clients go home without the catch they paid for. Skomal told National Geographic that some fishermen are "blaming the restoration of shark populations" for those losses.

The recovery is a conservation success, Skerry has said, describing the region as home to "a healthy, recovering population of large predatory sharks, particularly great whites." It also means more encounters with the boaters, anglers and swimmers who share the water.

Rules and Precautions for Anglers

Massachusetts already restricts some fishing that can draw white sharks close. The state's Division of Marine Fisheries adopted new shore-based shark fishing rules in 2025 that ban heavy shark tackle along Cape Cod Bay, the Outer Cape, Chatham Harbor and Monomoy, limit daytime chumming with that gear elsewhere, and prohibit bait cannons and drones for shore fishing. Existing state rules already prohibit attracting or targeting white sharks.

Anglers who see a shark shadowing their boat can reduce the chance of a repeat strike by moving to a new spot rather than continuing to fight fish in the same place. Never try to touch, gaff or feed a shark, and keep hands and feet out of the water when landing a fish.

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy's Sharktivity app lets anglers and beachgoers report and check sightings. Swimmers and surfers should watch for purple shark flags at beaches and follow local lifeguards' instructions.

Shark activity off Cape Cod typically stays elevated into fall, ABC News reported, so this guidance remains relevant through the late season. The bottom line: the footage confirms what captains have described for years, that young white sharks are taking fish off lines. Whether they are learning to follow boats is still an open question, and following state rules and giving sharks space is the best protection for now.

What Readers Want to Know

What does the new shark footage show?

It shows a juvenile great white shark grabbing a hooked striped bass off a fishing line near Rock Harbor in Orleans, Massachusetts, on June 29, 2026.

What is shark depredation?

Depredation is when a predator steals a fish that has already been hooked or caught by an angler.

Are sharks learning to follow fishing boats?

Shark scientist Greg Skomal says sharks can learn to associate engine sounds with food, and captains report more incidents. No study has yet confirmed how widespread this is.

Why are there so many white sharks off Cape Cod?

The gray seal population, their main prey, has recovered to an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 animals, drawing white sharks back to the region.

What fishing rules apply near Cape Cod?

Massachusetts bans heavy shore-based shark gear in parts of Cape Cod, limits daytime chumming with that gear, and prohibits attracting or targeting white sharks.

What should anglers do if a shark appears?

Move to a new location, avoid handling or feeding the shark, keep hands out of the water, and report sightings through the Sharktivity app.