New Hampshire doesn’t have a long coastline, extending to not more than 18 miles, which is why the surrounding waters aren’t home to many sharks. Of the ones found along the NH coast, some, like the basking sharks, are big, reaching heights over 30 feet. The spiny dogfish is in the list of smaller sharks with a height of 4 feet. Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire’s largest water body, has several; shark species like the sandbar shark, tiger shark, and basking shark.
List of the Different Types of Sharks in New Hampshire
| Species | Maximum Size | Aggressiveness |
Blue Shark |
6-11 feet | Not aggressive |
Thresher Shark |
10-18 feet | Not aggressive |
| Spiny Dogfish | 2.5-3.5 feet | Not aggressive (due to their small size) |
| Porbeagle Shark | 6-12 feet | Not aggressive |
Shortfin Mako Shark |
6.5-9.5 feet | Highly aggressive |
Longfin Mako Shark |
12-14 feet | Highly aggressive |
Great White Shark |
11-16 feet | Highly aggressive |
Basking Shark |
23-30 feet | Not aggressive |
| Sand Tiger Shark | 7-10 feet | Not aggressive (due to their small mouths) |
Sandbar Shark |
5.5-8.5 feet | Not aggressive |
FAQs
1. Has there been a shark attack in New Hampshire?
There have been no documented shark attacks in New Hampshire to date.
2. Are there great white sharks in New Hampshire?
Great whites aren’t common in New Hampshire. However, one of them was tagged by the OCEARCH in 2021. Tuck, a 3-year-old great white measuring 8 feet, was tagged along Hampton and Seabrook. He was noted to travel northwards for summer and fall to search for seals.
