The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is offering a series of tips at the state's ocean beach to help reduce the risk of "negative interactions between people and sharks."
Shark activity off New York's beaches increases from June through September as sharks migrate for the summer, DEC said.
DEC suggests taking the following steps to avoid an interaction with a shark:
- Avoid areas with seals
- Avoid areas with schools of fish, splashing fish, or diving seabirds
- Avoid swimming at dusk, night, and dawn
- Avoid murky water
- Swim, paddle, and surf in groups
- Stay close to shore, where feet can touch the bottom
- Always follow the instructions of lifeguards and park staff
DEC says the majority of unprovoked contacts with sharks are "the result of test bites, which occur when a shark misidentifies a human as their preferred prey."
“While human-shark interactions are rare, DEC encourages the public to follow shark safety guidance to help minimize the risk of negative interactions with sharks this summer,” DEC Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said in a press release. “DEC reminds all visitors to the world-class beaches and coastal waters along New York’s shoreline that these are also wild and natural marine ecosystems supporting a wide diversity of marine life, including sharks. Do your part and be shark smart.”
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There are at least 13 shark species that move through New York's marine waters every year, according to DEC, which stresses the importance of shakers to the marine ecosystem.
