Sharks and the Vineyard may seem synonymous, but Nick Budabin’s fascinating new film, “Great White Summer,” focuses on one Cape Cod community that is no make-believe Amity Island.
The documentary, playing at the M.V. Film Center on Sept. 12, opens with a young fisherman, pole in hand, in calm, late-afternoon water. He recalls how people used to flock there to swim, fish, and surf. But things have changed: “No one is jumping in. If everyone’s in the water, someone’s going down.”
Suddenly, we are plunged underwater with pulsing music reminiscent of a scene from “Jaws.” Within moments, we learn through gripping film footage that on Sept. 15, 2018, 26-year-old Arthur Medici, who had been boogie-boarding just 30 feet from shore, was attacked and killed by a great white shark.
The filmmakers began recording the resulting conflicts between locals, scientists, and authorities as they attempted to find solutions to the increasing predator population. “Great White Summer” reflects the collision of people’s conflicting agendas and their impact on public safety, nature, commercial fishermen’s livelihoods, and the sharks’ survival.
Budabin and his director of photography, Matt Elkind, skillfully interweave multiple perspectives of the complicated problem as the film moves chronologically forward.
There is Dr. Greg Skomal, a fisheries biologist specializing in sharks, from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. From him, we learn that after the mass slaughtering of sharks in the 1970s and 1980s, the federal government started protecting them in 1997. The result has been an enormous surge, particularly around Cape Cod, as they migrate northward. Yet, he says, “the probability of a fatal attack is pretty low. But all it takes is one to change the human psyche. I know going in the water and getting attacked by a shark scares the hell out of us.”
He says responding to the community’s cry for a solution takes time. However, “I know I can’t change the behavior of sharks and seals, but I can change my behavior. And unfortunately, that’s what we have to do.”
Fisheries scientist Megan Winton remarks, “Lots of people think the scientists are taking the side of the shark versus people. But the more we learn about the community, the more we learn how to co-exist with them.”
We hear, too, from several residents. There are Dante and Sherry Salerno, whose sons adore surfing. We feel for them as they struggle with wanting to allow them to follow their passion with their terror for their safety.
Speaking about the conservation efforts, one woman says on camera, “Everybody is trying to protect our wildlife without protecting our way of life. So I’m mad. I think something should be done.”
Heather Doyle is one of the people who is dedicated to doing something. She passionately advocates for locals and their right to feel safe in the water: “My heart and mind say somebody’s got to speak for the people, so that’s what I’m doing.” She is part of the Cape Cod Ocean Community, which searches for solutions in various places. Part of her effort is to help spearhead a campaign to raise $200,000 to find technology that will help, including Clever Buoys, which detect anything in the water the size of sharks, and set off an alarm to warn everyone nearby.
We hear from Jerry Evans, a great white shark searcher who loves surfing. He says of the latter, “At times, the shark thing is another added element of adrenaline. That a great white could be looking at you adds a rush to it.” After describing how one came to check him out while on his board, Evans explains, “But I need to be on the water. That’s why I moved here in the first place.”
We soon learn that beneath the shark problem is that of the gray seals. Once slaughtered to near extinction, the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act has brought about a resurgence. There are now some 30,000 to 50,000 of them in the Cape Cod region — luring the great white shark population to the area.
The gray seal explosion is creating a dilemma for commercial fishermen like Nick Muto, putting his livelihood at risk. He says that while they look cute, “they are big eating machines, and they are everywhere … In the last ten years, the seal population has decimated inshore fishery.” Where he once had to go only 10 miles offshore, he must now travel 50 to 125 miles to catch fish. Many fishermen have left. Of those remaining, he says, “We’re living day to day … People are focusing on the sharks, when they should be focusing on the seals. They’re treating the symptom, not the problem.”
As “Great White Summer” plays out, new alliances among the factions are formed, rifts occur, and allegiances shift, making for an engrossing story.
Budabin offers no conclusive answers, but instead deftly lays out the complexity of a problem with no easy solutions.
“Great White Summer” plays on Sept. 12 at 7:30 pm at the M.V. Film Center. For tickets and information, visit bit.ly/MVRS_GreatWhiteSummer.
