Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
710 WOR
Despite Early Shark Activity, New York Beaches Should Be Safe This Summer
By Mike Caragliano,
22 days ago
Photo: AFP
A pair of shark attacks off the Florida panhandle and a lone attack in Hawaii in recent days all have some people on edge about sharks off the Tri-state area beaches, as beach weather rapidly eases into the Northeast. Yet, as shark experts are quick to point out, three incidents do not a trend make. Dr. Bob Heuter is the chief scientist of Ocearch, a group that tags and tracks large sharks around the Seven Seas. Heuter appeared on 710 WOR’s Len Berman and Michael Riedel in the Morning program to remind listeners that using some common-sense tips will help you stay out of trouble before you go in the water.
“The ocean is a wild place,” Heuter told Berman and Riedel. “Look at the ocean before you go in. If you see a lot of activity- a lot of fish, schools of fish, you see birds diving- that might mean there are sharks in the area that are feeding on those fish. They’re not interested in us; they’re interested in going after fish and other similar kinds of prey, and occasionally people get in the way and get bitten.”
Heuter says the majority of sharks that might cause trouble in the summer waters off New York are juveniles, as older sharks tend to stay as far away from people as possible. “The area off of Long Island in the summertime is a fairly shark-y place. It always has been, except that we overfished sharks for about thirty years and they declined. They’re coming back now, and it’s a place where a lot of the younger sharks are growing up- we call it a nursery area for sharks. And sometimes, these younger ones, like younger human beings, are not very experienced, and they bite and they’re going after the wrong things. So, those are the ones that are typically causing the problems in New York.”
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.
Comments / 0