Beach season kicks off this week, and along with it, the possibility of spotting a shark in the waters off New York City.
But the true risk of encountering one is miniscule, according to one marine expert, who added that the mere presence of sharks in city waters is actually a good thing.
“It’s a sign of a healthy ocean,” said Hans Walter, a shark scientist at the Wildlife Conservation Society at the New York Aquarium. “No sharks consider humans as food. None of them.”
Interactions with sharks have typically not often been on the mind of the city’s beachgoers – until two summers ago. There were at least six reported shark bites off of the city’s beaches in 2022 – more than in the previous 10 years before that combined, according to the International Shark Attack File.
Last summer, there were four reported shark bites off of Long Island beaches during Independence Day weekend alone. In response, Gov. Kathy Hochul sent out dozens of drones to keep an eye on the sharp-toothed fish from the city’s skies.
Rockaway Beach was also temporarily closed to swimmers and surfers in August after a shark bit a 65-year-old woman in the leg as she stood in the water.
The added attention to shark sightings has made some beachgoers wary as beaches reopen across the city this Memorial Day weekend, according to Councilmember Shekar Krishnan from Queens, who chairs the Committee on Parks and Recreation.
“Of course, it’s very scary,” Krishnan said. “I’ve heard from New Yorkers who see these stories and feel scared when they’re in the water.”
He said that the appearance of more wildlife near the shore can be a good thing because it’s an indicator of how much cleaner the water has become.
Walter said the number of shark incidents each summer is minuscule compared to the millions of people attending the city’s beaches each summer.
“If anyone gets injured, of course it’s traumatic and it’s not to be played down or taken lightly,” Walter said. “But if you’re just going by the numbers, the chances of having such an encounter are still infinitesimally low.”
Scientists aren’t sure why there’s been an increase in the number of occurrences with sharks over recent years. And while Walter said he sees how pop culture — including popular films like “Jaws” — have made people scared of sharks, there’s little to fear in the temperament of the roughly two dozen shark species humans can find swimming in the waters around the city.
Common species around the city’s beaches include the smooth dogfish — which lack the sharp teeth that could harm humans — as well as black tipped and white sharks, who survive almost exclusively on fish.
New Yorkers can be mindful of any potential interactions with sharks this summer by keeping their eyes peeled for bait fish swimming close to the surface of the water, Walter said. Avoid swimming in those areas, he said — it’s likely due to a nearby predator.
“I don’t believe the sharks in our waters for the most part are targeting people,” he continued. “They’re not lashing out because they’re angry ‘cause there’s people in the water and I don’t believe they’re mistaking feet, hands and legs for fish. We’re just getting caught in the crossfire of an animal chasing and trying to eat its food.”
But the city’s struggle to find enough lifeguards to monitor its beaches this summer is also contributing to safety concerns around sharks.
A total of 230 lifeguards are ready to go this Memorial Day weekend, officials said. The city typically needs 1,200 to 1,400 lifeguards to be fully staffed, according to city Parks Department Commissioner Sue Donoghue.