Great White Shark Filmed Snatching Fish Off Underwater Line in Cape Cod

National Geographic photographer Brian Skerry has captured what is believed to be the first underwater footage of a great white shark snatching a fish directly off an angler's line in Cape Cod.

The striking video shows a hooked fish struggling to free itself before a juvenile great white shark rapidly ascends from the depths and seizes the prey. Skerry described the event as happening in less than a second.

This behavior, known as depredation, has been anecdotally reported by fishermen in the area for some time. Anglers have increasingly reported reeling in fish with missing portions or only the head, indicating that sharks have been taking their catches.

Hap Farrell, a charter industry veteran with 45 years of experience based in Orleans, Massachusetts, noted a significant increase in these incidents. He reported hearing of approximately 50 depredation events during the past summer, a substantial rise from previous years when only a handful were reported.

Experts attribute this growing trend to the recovery of the great white shark population in the Massachusetts region, which is sustained by a robust population of gray seals, a primary food source for the sharks.

Great white sharks typically migrate north in the spring and summer months in search of prey and cooler waters, moving south for the winter as temperatures drop.

Skerry collaborated with local charter captains to pinpoint areas with high concentrations of depredation. On June 29, he successfully filmed the shark taking the fish. Skerry suggested that the shark may have intentionally taken the fish from the side to avoid the hook.

"She doesn’t want to get hooked either, you know, or herself," Skerry told CBS. "Now again, maybe I’m giving them too much credit or reading into it too much, but I do think there’s some decisions being made."

Skerry aims to use the footage to foster greater understanding of the recovering population of large predatory sharks in the region. He stated, "While a great concern for beachgoers, it is a good thing for the ocean. It is a good thing for the planet."

In parallel with the increase in great white shark activity, fishermen in New York have also reported an uptick in catches of large bull sharks, tiger sharks, and other tropical species, a phenomenon scientists link to warming ocean temperatures.