In the Northwest Atlantic the white shark populations off the New England coast were nearly eradicated due to over-fishing. However, in recent years the populations have begun to grow greatly, largely due to the increase in seal populations on Cape Cod, Massachusetts since the enactment of the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972. Currently very little is known about the hunting and movement patterns of great whites off Cape Cod, but ongoing studies hope to offer insight into this growing shark population.