The shark suddenly let go and swam off. A carnivore that powerful inspires passion in people. Many surfers almost worship great whites, while some coastal inhabitants want to conquer the animal and kill it. Meanwhile, the world's most powerful predator may be very susceptible to overfishing and environmental toxins. Great whites appear to have dwindled significantly on the East Coast from hunters going after their jaws and teeth as souvenirs and trophies.
Experts agree that the great white's place at the top of the food chain make it uniquely vulnerable.
Their populations expand when food and conditions are good and contract when they're not. By nature predators are much fewer than what they prey on. With the case of sharks, you're talking about a predator that's way on top of the heap. Shark experts from South Africa, Australia and the U.S. East Coast say a few years of overfishing have depleted the shark population. And, again, nobody knows how long it will take for the great whites to recover.