By: Mario Mancini
There’s one word that should come to mind when you think of summer, sharks!
Shark attacks near New York beaches are on the rise and Governor Hochul is seeking to give money to state agencies to monitor and track sharks.
“We are taking action to expand patrols for sharks and protect beachgoers from potentially dangerous situations. I encourage all New Yorkers to listen to local authorities and take precautions to help ensure safe and responsible beach trips this summer,” Hochul told The New York Post Monday.
Actions include deploying patrol boats, drones and helicopters on the South Shore along with more public outreach on the dangers of the marine predators.
“Whether it’s land, sea or air, we are going to be having more robust patrols on the shorelines,” Hochul said at a Monday press conference in Suffolk County. Actions include deploying patrol boats, drones and helicopters on the South Shore along with more public outreach on the ways to be shark aware.
Experts say warmer waters due to climate change and increasing populations of smaller fish may be attracting sharks at increasing rates into the territorial waters of the Empire State writes Zach Williams of The New York Post.
Some scientists believe the shark sightings is actually a good sign, pointing to a healthy eco system.
AP reported:
More sharks are being spotted in the waters off Long Island, a trend that is likely to continue — and experts say that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Cleaner oceans, warmer water temperatures and a resurgence of bunker fish that sharks feed on are seen as factors, according to experts. Detection, from drones to helicopters, also has improved and reports are easily spread through social media.
“There are a lot more sharks than 10 or 15 years ago,” Christopher Paparo, manager of Stony Brook University’s Marine Sciences Center, told Newsday. “We’re spotting sharks, whales and dolphins here. In the 1960s, we did not have sharks, whales and dolphins.”
State parks will suspend swimming for at least one hour following future shark sightings while a drone inspects the waters for the feisty fish, according to the gubernatorial press release.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation advises that New Yorkers avoid swimming in areas with fishing, dolphins, and seals – common prey for some sharks. It also helps to avoid swimming alone or at dusk, dawn and night, according to the DEC.
There are a lot more sharks than 10 or 15 years ago,” Christopher Paparo, manager of Stony Brook University’s Marine Sciences Center, told Newsday, as was reported by the AP. “We’re spotting sharks, whales and dolphins here. In the 1960s, we did not have sharks, whales and dolphins.”
Shark attacks in the area have been very rare until recently, with an average of about one reported per 10 years for the last century, Newsday reported. The AP reported that two lifeguards suffered bites and a third person was bitten in what possibly was a shark attack, within the last two weeks along Long Island, the newspaper reported.
The New York Times also reported that at Jones Beach and Robert Moses State Park, nearly 20 lifeguards, park police and other beach staff members have recently been trained to operate a fleet of seven drones as part of a new aerial shark-monitoring program.
