Chasing Shadows

As shark attacks continue to rise along the coast of New England, Dr. Greg Skomal, the leading great white shark expert in the country, takes readers on a gripping exploration of these apex predators and the fascinating story behind their resurgence. August 2012 marked the first shark attack in Cape Cod in almost a century. Six years later, the inevitable first fatal attack took place. In less than a decade, the Cape went from being America's carefree seaside getaway to a place where families are confronted with large beachside billboards that warn of a growing great white shark population swimming just feet off every beach along the Outer Cape. As residents called for shark nets, drone surveillance, and other high-tech solutions, watching Jaws transitioned from a fun summer ritual to a playbook for current interactions between scientists, politicians, and those responsible for public safety.Dr. Greg Skomal, a shark biologist and a leading expert on great white sharks, has found himself at the center of the sharks' return to the New England coast. With more than three decades of field science, he balances research and conservation initiatives with public safety and economic interests daily. From tagging and tracking to studying predator-prey interactions between sharks and seals, to entering the ocean to unravel the history and behavior of these charismatic creatures, Skomal leaves no stone unturned in his pursuit of the secrets of the great white shark or the puzzle of how humans are to live with these apex predators.Chasing Shadows is a human story told through science, one that could impact the world of sharks and humans alike as we confront our fear and fascination of these complex creatures.