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Sharks Migrate to US East Coast as Water Temperatures Climb


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Sharks Migrate to US East Coast as Water Temperatures Climb

By Kevin France, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer
July 6, 2015; 1:13 AM ET


There has been an increase in the amount of shark attacks in the United States during the last decade, with a large number of these incidents occurring along the Atlantic coast.
According to the International Shark Attack File, we have seen a drastic increase in the amount of reported shark attacks since 1900, with each decade having more attacks than the previous one. In 2014, out of 130 incidents of alleged shark-human interactions worldwide, 72 of these incidents represented confirmed cases of unprovoked shark attacks on humans.
In addition, North American waters had the highest number of shark incidents in the world in 2014 with a total of 45. These accounted for 62.5 percent of all attacks across the globe. Of those attacks, 39 out of 45 occurred along Atlantic coast beaches.

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June 21 marks the astronomical start of summer, and residents living up and down the East Coast will flock to the beaches to enjoy the breeze and soak up the sun's rays.
Trips to the beach turned tragic for 10 people as separate incidents of shark attacks occurred in near-shore waters of the Carolinas since the start of June 2015.
A 10-year-old boy was also bitten on his calf by a shark off the coast of Cocoa Beach in Florida during early June. In all of these cases, the victims were very close to the shore and were all struck while swimming in knee- to waist-deep water.
By definition, a shark attack is classified as an interaction between humans and sharks that results in significant or life-threatening injuries or death.
Dan Abel, a senior lecturer in Marine Science at the University of Coastal Carolina, who has been researching and studying sharks off the coast of North Carolina for more than 20 years states, said that many of the attacks are actually accidental attacks by the sharks themselves.

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Great White Shark. (Flickr Photo/Elias Levy)

"Sharks living in the Atlantic have a wide variety of prey. Some of them eat fish and other types of seafood while others eat rays and sea turtles that is typically found very close to the shoreline," Abel said. "In most of the cases of shark attacks, the victims are bitten in their extremities because the sharks didn't see clearly and confused a human limb for actual prey."

For the most part, the movement of sharks during the summer months is based upon the water temperature. During this time of year, species of adult sharks migrate to waters that are above 70 degrees Fahrenheit and can migrate as far as New York and Cape Cod in the summer. During the winter months, they migrate as far south as the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.

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In summer months, bonnethead (a small hammerhead species), Sphyrna tiburo, are very abundant in near-shore waters. Sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus, are relatively stout sharks that can be common in near-shore and estuarine waters. Although they can be large, they are not typically viewed as dangerous, according to Erin Burge, an associate professor at Coastal Carolina in Marine Biology.

The reason shark attacks are more prevalent on the East Coast is due to its location and water temperature in the summer.

"The Atlantic has a much broader continental shelf, and due to the fact that ocean temperatures are in the 70s this time of year which is much warmer than the Pacific, the amount of sharks closer to the shoreline is larger," explained Abel.

Burge also noted that people who swim in the ocean on any given day are higher on U.S. Atlantic beaches than any other location in the nation.

"Since we enjoy being in the water and at the beach this time of year, it seems logical that the number of interactions between people and sharks, which are always here, will be higher," Burge said. "Atlantic beaches have many more swimmers in summer months than U.S. Pacific beaches."

Picturing a shark's wide-open mouth and sharp teeth might seem terrifying to most, especially with the recent shark attacks, but most sharks are in fact harmless to humans and do not pose a threat to those heading to the beach throughout the summer.

"A lot of people take it for granted that sharks can be near to the coastline at any given time," Burge said. "Although many species of sharks may seem as very dangerous, the vast majority of them poses no risk to us."

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Ballistic Gelatin

Welcome to Food Chain Follies.

If you're in their water, you're either an appetizer or the main course.

Sharks are eating machines, pure and simple. As such, they must command our respect.

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US south east coast has always been known to be sharky, just like northern california.

it makes me wonder, is there signs on the beach asking not to pee in the water??

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US south east coast has always been known to be sharky, just like northern california.

it makes me wonder, is there signs on the beach asking not to pee in the water??

actually i was told by a dive master that when humans pee in the water it actually attracts sharks...from miles away...so after i heard this i did a little bit google searches... some experts yes it is true some say maybe and the ones that said most likely no but they can hold up no evidence to prove the no not likely theory...personally i would prefer to listen to the dive masters at this time as they are on (and IN) the water several times a day

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US south east coast has always been known to be sharky, just like northern california.

it makes me wonder, is there signs on the beach asking not to pee in the water??

actually i was told by a dive master that when humans pee in the water it actually attracts sharks...from miles away...so after i heard this i did a little bit google searches... some experts yes it is true some say maybe and the ones that said most likely no but they can hold up no evidence to prove the no not likely theory...personally i would prefer to listen to the dive masters at this time as they are on (and IN) the water several times a day
Did your Divemaster mention whether it was appropriate for menstruating women to enter shark infested water?
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With world fisheries being diminished daily, The sharks are most likely starving...

And, we, too, may be starving as well sooner than we imagine...

:wtf: :lol:

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US south east coast has always been known to be sharky, just like northern california.

it makes me wonder, is there signs on the beach asking not to pee in the water??

actually i was told by a dive master that when humans pee in the water it actually attracts sharks...from miles away...so after i heard this i did a little bit google searches... some experts yes it is true some say maybe and the ones that said most likely no but they can hold up no evidence to prove the no not likely theory...personally i would prefer to listen to the dive masters at this time as they are on (and IN) the water several times a day

yep it's what i've always heard, that it attracks shark as it supposely reproduces a subtance secreted by fish when they are scared/stressed.

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