After several sightings were recorded as heavy rains drenched portions of Australia, experts have warned that there may be an increased danger of shark attacks on beaches.
In recent days, there have been multiple shark sightings in Sydney. The Northern Beaches Council issued a warning on Tuesday that a shark of more than three meters in length had been observed off Manly Beach, which had since been closed.
Shark attack warning on Sydney
On Tuesday, the Northern Beaches Council issued a warning after a three-meter-long shark was seen off Manly Beach. According to a council statement, all swimmers and surfers are encouraged to keep out of the sea. As per Independent.
According to a representative for the NSW Department of Primary Industries, there is no indication that shark numbers are growing in Sydney's coastal and estuary areas, although the likelihood of shark encounters increases in murky waters following heavy rains.
Run-off and nutrients from the land enter our rivers, attracting fish and other creatures to feed, which in turn attracts sharks, according to a spokeswoman for the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries.
Hart co-authored modeling research in 2019 that discovered that rainy weather increased the likelihood of shark attacks by specific species. "Take, for example, tiger sharks, whose attack danger increases with rainfall," he explained.
This February had 356mm of rain in Sydney, which has experienced its wettest summer in 30 years.
Hart's research discovered that the risk of encountering a great white shark accelerated with mean monthly monsoon rains up to a limit of 100mm, but then dropped - a finding Hart attributes to a "complex interaction between season, the type of stuff that's being washed down, and just how much is being washed down in those rivers." As per The Guardian.
The study discovered that the chance of a great white shark attack increased dramatically as sea surface temperatures rose.
Read more: Heavy Rainfall Persist in Southeastern US, Increasing Risks of Flash Flood
Warning to surfers to stay out to beaches for a while
Meanwhile, Madison Stewart, an Australian influencer and self-proclaimed "shark girl," issued a caution to surfers to stay out of the water as floods continued to rampage throughout the east coast.
Extreme rainfall, according to Ms. Stewart, has altered the "normal distribution patterns of bull sharks within river systems," prompting the animals to migrate to near-shore beach regions. As per Independent
They are unable to deal with the decrease in salt in the water. River mouths also serve as a food supply for sharks, as all drainage from upriver flows into the ocean. She stated
She advised surfers that it was a bad time to go out, adding that things like fertilizers and even sewage might drive fish to feed and swarm around the river mouth region. Bull sharks thrive in gloomy water.
Sharks are prevalent in the state's seas all year, according to research from the NSW Department of Primary Industries.
According to the authorities, great white sharks were predominantly found in sea surface temperatures ranging from 18 to 24 degrees Celsius in NSW. Bull sharks are more common in Sydney's estuaries and coastal waterways throughout the summer and fall months, when water temperatures rise.
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