New York lifeguards are being trained to use drones and personal watercraft after recent shark bites off local beaches – but one shark expert believes such solutions lack specialist input.
Officials in New York’s Long Island say they are upgrading training after five people were reportedly bitten by sharks since Monday, including two minors.
“We are now more vigilant than ever,” said George Gorman, Long Island regional director for New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
“We have drones in the sky that watch over the waters. We have lifeguards on WaveRunners that watch over the waters,” he added, referring to a commercial brand of personal watercraft that is a rival to the Kawasaki-manufactured Jet Ski.
The first shark bite incident in the latest flurry happened on Monday, when a 15-year-old girl was reportedly bitten on the leg by a shark while swimming at Long Island’s Robert Moses beach. Another youngster, 15, was bitten on the foot while surfing off the adjacent Fire Island, CNN reported.
On Tuesday, a 49-year-old man was bitten on the hand while swimming in Fire Island, News 12 reported.
In a separate incident, a 47-year-old man was reportedly bitten on the knee at Quogue Village beach, a public beach further east on Long Island, towards the Hamptons. Although a shark was not seen, officials said that the bite mark likely came from a large marine animal.
Officials say shark bites have become increasingly common in the past few years. Last year, eight people reported being bitten by sharks near Long Island’s beaches.
“This year, we’ve already had five bites,” said Gorman, and “the season has kind of just begun.”
But one shark expert said officials must keep the figures in perspective.
Greg Metzger, chief field coordinator with the Sofo Shark Research Program in Bridgehampton, New York, told the Guardian that the increase in shark bites this year is “completely random” and that shark bite figures remain small.
“Out of the hundreds of thousands of opportunities [for shark interaction], only five went bad. So the chances of being in a negative situation with a shark is extremely, extremely small,” said Metzger.
“It’s really just chance and bad luck for those individuals who have had those interactions,” he added.
Metzger also said the surveillance techniques being rolled out may not be ideal for spotting sharks, encouraging instead more education about sharks for beachgoers as a way to increase safety.
Sharks are rarely at the shallow depths that allow them to be spotted by surveillance, according to research conducted by the Sofo program.
“Ninety percent of the time that a shark could be there, it would not be at the surface where you could see it. It is not necessarily as effective as people might think,” Metzger said, adding that the ocean waters around Long Island are not very clear most of the time.
Metzger added that it is very difficult to identify sharks via methods like drones, even for experts like himself.
Recent reports that 50 sand sharks were spotted off the coast of a Long Island beach were “absolutely, definitely not sharks”,Metzgersaid.
“I caution that perception is reality. If everyone is on ultra-high alert that we’re looking for sharks, you’re going to see sharks. They may not be sharks,” he said, adding that people sometimes mistake dolphin fins, bird wings and even beer bottles for sharks.
As more lifeguards are being trained to spot sharks, Metzger cautioned that those without shark experience should consult with experts before closing beaches and taking other measures.
Metzger said public officials should take similar precautions before rolling out new initiatives.
“It’s unfortunate that officials don’t consult more with shark experts before making these decisions.”