Popular New York beach closed to swimmers over shark sightings – The Independent

A popular New York beach was forced to close for swimmers this week following a number of shark sightings in the area.

CBS New York reports that the Parks Department confirmed that multiple people have reported seeing the intimidating fish at Rockaway Beach in Queens.

The beach was closed for swimming as a result on Wednesday, the broadcaster said.

Ocearch, an online shark tracker and research foundation that aims to help scientists collect data on the ocean, shows that there are 11 sharks currently swimming near the shores of New York state.

While only a small proportion of the actual number of sharks in the ocean are tracked by the organisation, its interactive map provides a snapshot of insight into the movement of their populations across the US.

The map shows that the shark currently closest to Rockaway Beach is a female White Shark named Finn who is 4ft 11.5 inches in length and weighs 79.2 lbs.

Other sharks swimming in the surrounding area and further out in Long Island include Amagansett, another female white shark, and Elias, a 6ft 75 inch 100lb hammerhead.

Its not possible to know if any of the tagged sharks were those sighted by beachgoers in Queens.

Trackers said in June that a huge number of great white sharks were lurking off the coasts of New York, New Jersey, and Cape Cod.

There are thousands of them on the East Coast right now, Chris Fischer, the founder of Ocearch, told the New York Post.

Rockaway Beach is a year-round resource for residents according to New York City parks website.

The popular beach reportedly comes alive each summer from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend with millions of visitors.

In terms of shark attacks, experts assure people that incidents are rare, but advise swimmers to employ vigilance and common sense when taking a dip in open waters.

It doesnt make sense to dress up like a seal and go out in the middle of the food chain, Mr Fischer said.

In fact, according to the Florida museums yearly worldwide shark attack summary, both fatal and non-fatal shark bites are decreasing.

The museums International Shark Attack File confirmed there were 57 unprovoked shark bites and 13 shark related fatalities in 2020, 10 of which were confirmed to be unprovoked.

The total number of unprovoked shark bites worldwide is extremely low, given the number of people participating in aquatic recreation each year, the website says.

Only recently have hubs of sharks come to include the Eastern Seaboard, where they are likely searching for food swimming close to the shore, the National Geographic has reported.

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Popular New York beach closed to swimmers over shark sightings - The Independent