Early insights into the seasonal and spatial distribution of white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) along the Maine coastline

While significant progress has been made to characterize life history patterns, movement ecology, and regional estimates of abundance of white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) in the Western North Atlantic (WNA), patterns of spatial distribution remain relatively unknown in the northern Gulf of Maine. In this study, we utilize data collected from multiple acoustic telemetry projects from 2012-2023 to assess the spatiotemporal distribution of white sharks along sections of the Maine coastline and regional offshore waters. Acoustic receivers were deployed each year from 2012-2019 (mean number of receivers ± SD: 11 ± 4), and effort increased following the first-ever white shark related fatality in Maine in 2020 (2020-2023: 40 ± 15). In total, 107 white sharks tagged by researchers in the WNA were detected, with the majority (n = 90) detected in shallow (