Amazing footage from the US state of Massachusetts shows the moment a great white shark attempts to take a bite out of an underwater camera submerged by a scientist.

"Every week is #sharkweek for DMF Scientist Greg Skomal!" the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries said in a Facebook post of the video. The government organisation also said that its camera is just fine after the run in with one of nature's most devastating creatures.

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The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, a non-profit that works directly with the Massachusetts DMF, says that white sharks are "an asset to our marine environment. As apex predators they play a critical role in maintaining the health of our ocean's ecosystem".

The organisation, which supports research and increases awareness of the shark's role in the natural system, says that sharks declining would mean an imbalance between predators and prey "compromising the health of the world's oceans and negatively impacting other marine species."

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (ICUN) currently classifies great white sharks as 'vulnerable' and says that hunting is fuelled by an "exaggerated perception of its threat" to human safety and an almost legendary 'Big Fish status'".

Also, shark numbers are impacted by incidental capture by large fisheries. According to the ICUN, the trophy trade is also tough on the species. A great white shark jaw can fetch up to $50,000 (£37,000) in South Africa.