Following an escalated amount of shark sightings on the beaches of Long Island, New York, shark patrols have increased, with lifeguards now using drones, Jet Skis and tourniquets in their emergency equipment.
Shark sightings have become more and more frequent since 2021. In response, lifeguards have increased shark patrols along the 100 miles of Long Island’s beaches.
Lifeguard supervisor Justine Anderson of the Town of Hempstead said that shark sightings had been extremely rare, but since the summer of 2021, there had been day-to-day occasions of sharks being seen feeding startlingly close to swimmers.
“It’s become part of our daily routine,” Anderson said regarding the shark patrols. “We’ll patrol throughout the day and respond immediately if we get a report of a shark sighting.”
Summer lifeguards on Long Island beaches have never been tasked with shark patrols including paddleboards and online tracking. Instead, they were normally just expected to keep an eye out for a casual dorsal fin and assess shark reports given by frantic swimmers. But given the current amount of shark glimpses, the staff are taking the situation more seriously after numerous sightings and even attacks.
A 10-foot mako shark washed up at Point Lookout Beach over the Memorial Day weekend, and reports say that a man swimming at Jones Beach may have been bitten by a shark. These attacks and sightings, along with numerous others, have persuaded lifesaving departments on Long Island to increase shark patrols and lookouts.
On one weekend, during a training exercise at Smith County Beach, a small shark attacked a lifeguard and bit his chest and hand, so the lifeguard was treated with stitches.
“It’s like a new world we’re living in,” said Cary Epstein, a veteran lifeguard at Jones Beach. “In my 25 years as a lifeguard, we never had to do this.” “This isn’t ‘Jaws,’ we’re not talking about a great white, man-eating machine—but if a thresher shark comes through and takes a nibble on your foot, that could be a problem,” said Mr. Epstein.
But do the sharks actually pose any real danger to people? Marine experts have expressed frustration with the ongoing perception of sharks being dangerous and aggressive creatures. The experts say that sharks pose no danger to swimmers, and that shark patrols only cause unnecessary panic.
Hans Walters, a field scientist at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Aquarium said the hype over the sharks was “very overblown.” “The threat to people from sharks is practically nonexistent,” he stated, “and there is no real evidence that local shark populations have increased in recent years.” “The danger to people is infinitesimal,” he added.
Chris Stefanou, a local fisherman, said he had seen more sharks in local waters each year as water temperatures rise. There is an increase of hammerheads and bull sharks who had initially avoided the colder local water, according to Mr. Stefanou.
“There are more and more sharks in the water, which sounds scary,” Mr. Stefanou said. “But it’s actually a good thing because it reflects a healthy ecosystem.”
Shark patrols along Long Island beaches are viewed by experts to be unnecessary, and scientist Hans Walters assured that sharks are not interested in them and that the danger is practically nonexistent.
Link to Article: N.Y. Lifeguards Now Watch for Sharks, Facing Dramatic Increase in Sightings – The New York Times.pdf
Other Sources: Long Island shark attack: Beaches reopen with drones on patrol (fox5ny.com)
Increase in shark patrols after a number of recent attacks – CBS Miami (cbsnews.com)
Shark sightings have become more and more frequent since 2021. In response, lifeguards have increased shark patrols along the 100 miles of Long Island’s beaches.
Lifeguard supervisor Justine Anderson of the Town of Hempstead said that shark sightings had been extremely rare, but since the summer of 2021, there had been day-to-day occasions of sharks being seen feeding startlingly close to swimmers.
“It’s become part of our daily routine,” Anderson said regarding the shark patrols. “We’ll patrol throughout the day and respond immediately if we get a report of a shark sighting.”
Summer lifeguards on Long Island beaches have never been tasked with shark patrols including paddleboards and online tracking. Instead, they were normally just expected to keep an eye out for a casual dorsal fin and assess shark reports given by frantic swimmers. But given the current amount of shark glimpses, the staff are taking the situation more seriously after numerous sightings and even attacks.
A 10-foot mako shark washed up at Point Lookout Beach over the Memorial Day weekend, and reports say that a man swimming at Jones Beach may have been bitten by a shark. These attacks and sightings, along with numerous others, have persuaded lifesaving departments on Long Island to increase shark patrols and lookouts.
On one weekend, during a training exercise at Smith County Beach, a small shark attacked a lifeguard and bit his chest and hand, so the lifeguard was treated with stitches.
“It’s like a new world we’re living in,” said Cary Epstein, a veteran lifeguard at Jones Beach. “In my 25 years as a lifeguard, we never had to do this.” “This isn’t ‘Jaws,’ we’re not talking about a great white, man-eating machine—but if a thresher shark comes through and takes a nibble on your foot, that could be a problem,” said Mr. Epstein.
But do the sharks actually pose any real danger to people? Marine experts have expressed frustration with the ongoing perception of sharks being dangerous and aggressive creatures. The experts say that sharks pose no danger to swimmers, and that shark patrols only cause unnecessary panic.
Hans Walters, a field scientist at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Aquarium said the hype over the sharks was “very overblown.” “The threat to people from sharks is practically nonexistent,” he stated, “and there is no real evidence that local shark populations have increased in recent years.” “The danger to people is infinitesimal,” he added.
Chris Stefanou, a local fisherman, said he had seen more sharks in local waters each year as water temperatures rise. There is an increase of hammerheads and bull sharks who had initially avoided the colder local water, according to Mr. Stefanou.
“There are more and more sharks in the water, which sounds scary,” Mr. Stefanou said. “But it’s actually a good thing because it reflects a healthy ecosystem.”
Shark patrols along Long Island beaches are viewed by experts to be unnecessary, and scientist Hans Walters assured that sharks are not interested in them and that the danger is practically nonexistent.
Link to Article: N.Y. Lifeguards Now Watch for Sharks, Facing Dramatic Increase in Sightings – The New York Times.pdf
Other Sources: Long Island shark attack: Beaches reopen with drones on patrol (fox5ny.com)
Increase in shark patrols after a number of recent attacks – CBS Miami (cbsnews.com)
