New York state has ordered enhanced shark patrols at Long Island State Park beaches after a series of recent encounters left lifeguards, surfers and swimmers gashed on some of the South Shore's most popular stretches of sand.
Three people were attacked at the same beach -- Smith Point County Park, a Fire Island barrier beach -- within a 10-day span last week, leading to multiple but temporary closures of swimming areas. None of the injuries was life-threatening, but a number of the people who discovered their skin torn after feeling pain needed stitches to close their wounds.
Two of those three incidents happened on the same day. At least one other bite was reported locally this month, on Fire Island's Ocean Beach -- and another possible bite happened on the last day of June at Jones Beach, officials have said. More possible sightings on shorelines -- from Robert Moses to Tobay Beach to others -- amid the heightened anxiety have prompted brief water evacuations as well to allow time to canvass for potential predators.
Gov. Kathy Hochul's directive, issued to agencies including the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the State Police and the Department of Environmental Conservation, calls for enhanced surveillance from as many angles as possible, with more drones and helicopters monitoring from above and more foot and water patrols in affected areas.
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The Democrat also ordered state agencies to expand public outreach efforts around shark safety and education. Learn about the signs of shark-infested waters and more on NY shark safety protocol here.
"As New Yorkers and visitors alike head to our beautiful Long Island beaches to enjoy the summer, our top priority is their safety," Hochul said in a statement Monday. "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."
Her action plan includes the following, as outlined on Monday:
- Increased lifeguard staffing by 25% at ocean beaches through overtime. That'll translate to 2-4 lifeguards within each field and boost shark and other marine life surveillance from the shore
- Enhanced drone beach surveillance program: Jones Beach State Park gets three instead of one, Robert Moses State Park goes from one to two and Hither Hills State Park will be assigned its first drone. Park Police also have a drone available
- Drone surveillance capabilities at Long Island State Park beaches expand from 4 miles to 11 miles
- Deploy more surfboats to surveil from water as well as Park Police patrol boats
- Add six more drone operators to the 13 certified ones already working for Long Island State Parks within weeks
- Bolster federal, state, county, and local partnerships to share resources and information about potential shark sightings and better support the correct identification of sharks and other fish
News
More Shark Sightings to Come?
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.”
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. Two lifeguards suffered bites and a third person was bitten in what possibly was a shark attack, within the last two weeks, the newspaper reported.
The United States recorded 47 unprovoked shark bites in 2021, a 42% increase from 33 incidents reported in 2020, according to records kept by the Florida Museum of Natural History.
