Are great white sharks federally protected? | Fact brief

Great white sharks, also known as white sharks, are federally protected. NOAA Fisheries lists them as a prohibited species, meaning they must be released immediately if caught.

The protection dates back to 1997, when federal regulators banned the possession of white sharks and four other species considered especially vulnerable to overfishing. White sharks are not currently endangered.

Federal rules allow catch-and-release fishing for white sharks with rod and reel under specific conditions. Maine law prohibits the “take” of white sharks in state waters, including attempts to remove them from their habitat.

Sharks drew attention in Maine this summer after a spate of sightings. In August, a white shark pulled a Scarborough lifeguard underwater by his attached rescue device; he was unhurt. On Labor Day, anglers hooked and released a shark at Scarborough’s Higgins Beach. 

Maine’s only confirmed fatal shark attack occurred off Harpswell’s Bailey Island in 2020.