Many Americans are concerned as numerous reports of shark bite injuries have emerged. In fact, a series of sightings of these aggressive animals have been reported off the coast of the Northeastern United States.
Increase in Fatalities from Shark Bites
A sand tiger shark hunting off the coast of North Carolina.
In light of this phenomenon, scientists have raised the question: Is there anything unique about the Long Island and Cape Cod areas of New York and the Massachusetts peninsula, where sharks have recently been sighted? According to Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research at the University of Florida in Gainesville, the answer is both yes and no.
According to Naylor, global shark attack incidents are at similar levels to previous years. However, there are signs that this situation may be increasing along the Northeast coast of the United States.
“We are trending in the right direction for this time of year. I think globally, there are about 70 to 80 unprovoked shark bites. However, this is a global phenomenon. In one year, we might see two or three consecutive attacks in Hawaii. The next year, this could happen in New Caledonia, or perhaps in Western Australia. This year, sharks have been particularly frequent off the coast of Long Island,” Naylor stated.
He declined to provide the total number of shark bites reported so far this year, noting that it takes time to investigate and verify the reported bites. Currently, Naylor’s work at the Florida Museum of Natural History involves tracking data on shark attack incidents.
Last year, there were 73 confirmed cases of unprovoked shark bites. This figure aligns with the five-year average of 72 incidents per year. However, there were 11 fatalities related to sharks, an increase compared to the average of five per year.
The Target is Prey
Naylor explains that the sharks being sighted off Long Island are searching for food, not targeting humans. He noted that most of the incidents are identified as sand tiger sharks. Despite their intimidating appearance, they are not considered aggressive.
They may have ventured into coastal waters to hunt in the fish-rich beaches close to shore. He explained that the unusually dense shoals this year are due to warm currents breaking off from the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic and extending up the Northeast coast. These waters are richer in chlorophyll, allowing for plankton blooms, which in turn attract baitfish.
A great white shark spotted about 50 meters off the coast of Cape Cod on July 15.
“This baitfish can number in the hundreds of thousands or even millions. When the baitfish come close to shore, these sharks follow them. The sharks swimming around are trying to chase after their dinner,” Naylor shared.
One contributing factor to this issue is the nursery of sand tiger sharks, discovered in 2016. This area is located off the coast near the Great South Bay of Long Island.
This is where sharks aged from a few months to five years feed and grow. According to the Wildlife Conservation Society, these sharks are born off the southeastern coast of the United States before migrating north and spending the summer in New York waters. They then return south in the fall.
Adult sand tiger sharks can grow up to 9 feet (2.7 meters) long. However, juvenile sharks only measure between 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 meters). Therefore, they can venture closer to shore to hunt.
“As you can imagine, similar to any mammal species, juvenile sharks lack experience. They do not have the same prey recognition skills as adults. We strongly suspect that these are juvenile sharks. They cannot distinguish between a human’s leg and baitfish,” Naylor explained.
Great Whites Hunting Seals
Naylor noted that regardless of the type of shark, humans need to take the same protective measures. These include avoiding swimming or surfing if large sharks or seals are spotted nearby. Do not wear jewelry in the water, as sharks may mistake the glint of jewelry for fish scales. If a shark is sighted, slowly back away from the water’s edge. However, people should not panic and splash around.
At Cape Cod, several great white sharks have been spotted this summer. This situation has led to the closure of at least one beach. Naylor stated that there have been no reports of shark bites. Throughout the summer and fall, great whites hunt seals – their preferred prey – along the region’s coastline.
This could bring sharks closer to popular beaches. Data from 14 sharks in a study published last year in the journal Wildlife Research showed that they spent nearly half their time at depths of 15 feet (4.6 meters) or shallower. This means that it is likely sharks are appearing in waters frequented by humans.
The lead author of this study, Megan Winton, a scientist at the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, stated: “So far, we do not know how much time sharks have spent in shallow waters close to shore.”
This nonprofit organization, based in North Chatham, Massachusetts, provides funding and resources for scientific research aimed at improving public safety. The number of great white sharks off the coast of Cape Cod has increased alongside the local seal population.
Cape Cod is the only location in the Atlantic where great white sharks are present. To date, scientists have identified and tracked about 300 great white sharks. However, the official population size has yet to be determined. Since 2012, there have been four unprovoked shark attacks on humans along the Cape Cod coastline, including one fatal attack in 2018.
