Diving Operations Halted in Gaspé Following Great White Shark Attack
AI-generated image · Bay Street Wire
A rare encounter off the coast of Percé has led a local diving center to suspend its season as experts note a rise in shark populations in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A diver was hospitalized after being injured by a great white shark off Percé, Quebec, on the eastern tip of the Gaspé Peninsula, according to reporting from CBC News and CityNews Toronto.
The Canadian Coast Guard reported the incident occurred shortly before 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday. The victim had been on the Yoda, a dive boat with the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary. Plongée Percé, a commercial diving firm, stated on Facebook that the individual received first aid on-site and that their life is not in danger, though the Coast Guard could not confirm the specific nature of the injuries.
In response to the attack, Plongée Percé announced it has suspended all diving activities for the remainder of the season as a precaution.
While the Canadian Shark Attack Registry—maintained by the non-profit St. Lawrence Shark Observatory—notes that such incidents are exceptionally rare, with only 15 confirmed cases in Canada over more than 330 years, sightings of great white sharks have increased in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and near the Magdalen Islands. The St. Lawrence Shark Observatory attributes this trend to a recovery of the species and improved documentation.
Some experts view the presence of these predators as a sign of ecological health. Caroline Miri, a marine biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, told CBC News that sharks are vital for maintaining the stability of marine ecosystems. Similarly, Chris Fischer, founder of the global non-profit Ocearch, noted that sharks protect fish stocks by putting pressure on seal populations. Ocearch is currently tracking four sharks in the region—named Webster, Ernst, Bella, and Nori—as part of an effort to study the species.