Atlantic Shark Institute captures video of great white shark off Block Island

BLOCK ISLAND, R.I. (WLNE) — The New England beach crowds might be thinning out, but one group of “tourists” is just hitting its stride in local waters.

Local great white shark sightings typically peak in late summer into early fall, and the Atlantic Shark Institute is keeping an eye on more than just the water’s surface.

The ASI announced the sighting of a great white shark in the waters off of Block Island using Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems, or BRUVs.

The system captured video of the shark taking a look at the BRUV setup.

“It’s a beautiful video and it was so wonderful to document this majestic shark cruising the waters near Block Island and investigating our BRUVs,” said Jon Dodd, Executive Director of the ASI.

“This is likely the first time anyone has seen this shark and, based on its size, it is likely a juvenile and perhaps even a young-of-the-year white shark. We are using technology to see how closely we might be able to estimate the shark’s length and age.” 

The BRUVs deployed by the ASI have captured a host of species over the years, including sharks, sea turtles and tuna.

This great white sighting is the first.

The system works by lowering the baited BRUV to the bottom to lure in any animals that might catch the scent.

The attached video camera captures any curious creature that happens by.

“Erin Mullen, the Director of the Block Island Maritime Institute, was the first to review the BRUVs video and she was really excited to share what she found, and so were we. This is another excellent data point for our white shark research here in Southern New England and we hope it’s not the last,” said Dodd.