Are Shark Attacks On the Rise in New York?

To date, this summer has seen six shark attacks off the coast of New York’s Long Island. Swimmers have been bitten on their feet, hands, butts, and one very unlucky gentleman was knocked off his paddleboard and bitten on the leg. Fortunately, none of these incidents were life threatening. 

So what’s going on here? Why are so many people getting chomped? Are shark attacks on the rise and should you avoid swimming in the ocean if you live in the area? 

We should start off by noting that unprovoked shark attacks seem to be extremely rare when you think about the millions of people who swim in the ocean every year. According to a database maintained by the Florida Museum of Natural History, an average of 70 attacks are recorded each year—and that’s worldwide! If these numbers are accurate, you have a much greater risk of dying from a lightning strike than from an encounter with a shark.

But knowing that context makes six attacks in the space of a couple weeks seem even more unusual. What’s more, Long Island is not known for shark attacks. Most years see at most one attack. And more often than not there aren’t any in a given year. (If there’s any U.S. state known for clashes with sharks, it’s Florida, which averages 25 every year.) 

Local shark experts attribute the sudden rise in attacks to several main factors: . 

1) Conservation efforts are paying off. Sharks, along with other large ocean-going species like whales and dolphins, are making more frequent appearances in the New York area.   Overfishing, pollution, and the desire to kill sharks (inspired by movies like Jaws) reduced their numbers through the latter half of the 20th century. But starting in the 1970s, several important laws have been passed to protect sharks and other sea life including the Shark Conservation Act of 2011 which prohibits the barbarous practice of shark finning. In the U.S. it is currently illegal to hunt 19 Atlantic shark species including white sharks and tiger sharks, which along with along with bull sharks are the “Big Three” implicated in attacks.   

2) The Atlantic Ocean is warming up. Since the 1970s, the Atlantic Ocean has been getting steadily warmer. This has expanded the range of some shark species northward. For example, the sand tiger shark feels most comfortable in water that is 72 degrees Farenheit and will migrate to wherever it can find that ideal temperature. And these days the waters off the coast of Long Island seem to be just right for sand tigers. So much so that in 2016, researchers with World Conservation Society discovered Long Island’s Great South Bay, with runs between Fire Island and the mainland, has become a tiger shark breeding ground! 

3) Food is plentiful. Sharks have made a comeback and so has one of their important food sources, the Atlantic Menhaden, also known as Bunker fish. Frank Quevedo, executive director of the South Fork Natural History Museum Shark Research and Education Program told the New York Post: “If there’s a school of menhaden… close to shore, and sharks are feeding on that, they’re gonna fight any way they can, or shove other fish out of the way to feed on that food source. So, if people are in the middle of that frenzy … they’re gonna get bitten and that’s what happens.” The Menhaden fishery had all but collapsed around the early 2010s, but better management has lead to increasing numbers. And a law passed three years ago by New York State barred the practice of using large industrial nets, known as ‘purse seines,’ to catch the bait fish, which is likely to drive even more growth. 

Bottom line–things are looking up if you’re a shark living around Long Island. Humans aren’t allowed to kill you, food is plentiful, and you’re cruising balmy ocean waters. If you’re a human in those waters, the news is less good because you’re now sharing the space with a bunch of quick, stealthy animals with razor sharp teeth chasing after one of their favorite things to eat.

So I’ll leave it to you, dear reader, whether you want to take the risk of swimming in the same water occupied by sharks. Just remember that the risk of getting bitten is still quite low and you can further reduce that risk by following some tips from the Florida Natural History Museum: : 

• Swim with a buddy. Sharks tend to approach people who are alone. . . 
• Avoid being in the water during low light hours (dawn or dusk) and at night when many sharks are most active and feeding.

• Don’t enter the water if you are bleeding. Sharks are attracted to the smell of blood. 
• Swim where lifeguards can see you and avoid areas where people are fishing.

A more complete list of tips can be found on the Museum’s website.