Serious shark attacks on Long Island may have beachgoers rethinking whether to catch waves this summer.
But before you choose to stay on the sand, here’s what you need to know when you head to the shore.
There are probably more sharks in New York waters today.
“And that’s a good thing,” said Christopher Paparo, director of the Marine Science Center at Stony Brook University.
Sharks are increasing because they prey on smaller fish like bunker, Paparo said in a statement provided to The Post. Populations of hoppers and other fish have rebounded after declining decades ago due to overfishing and pollution, he added.
There are also many species of sharks.
There are sand tiger sharks, tiger sharks, dusky sharks, spinner sharks and lesser white sharks in New York waters, experts told The Post.
It is unclear which sharks are behind the attacks.
But experts believe sand tiger sharks are the likely aggressors.
There have been five shark attacks on Long Island in the past two weeks — including two at Smith Point Beach. Dennis A. Clark The number of sharks in New York waters is increasing, according to an expert. Getty Images/500px A map of the recent increase in shark attacks and sightings on Long Island.
Sand tiger sharks appear grayer, can reach up to 10 feet, and are second only to white sharks in terms of human encounters, according to the Shark Research Institute website.
Tiger sharks appear browner and can range up to 10 feet, according to the institute.
Sightings of super-predatory white sharks are more likely north of New York, with recent sightings off Cape Cod.
Sharks don’t see you as lunch.
“One thing to keep in mind is that sharks don’t try to eat surfers and swimmers,” Stony Brook’s Paparo said. “They prefer to eat fish, but in many cases they mistake us for their real prey.”
When they bite, they usually move on, he added.
Pro tip to avoid being mistaken for something to eat: Avoid swimming in a school of fish, Paparo said.
Long Island lifeguard Zach Gallo was bitten by a shark earlier in July. Dennis A. Clark Gallo’s leg after the shark attack during training. News12
You probably won’t need a bigger boat.
Your odds of dying from a shark attack in your lifetime are 1 in 3,748,067, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File.
By comparison, your odds of dying from being struck by lightning are 1 in 79,746. Nine people died from confirmed shark attacks worldwide last year, with 73 reported bites worldwide in 2021 and an average of 72 attacks per year in the past five years, according to the filing.
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