Shark Patrol Beefed Up Amidst Reports Of Attack In New York

Authorities stepped up their shark patrol efforts in New York beach town after reported attacks of marine animals, which were believed to be sharks.

Over the Independence Day holiday, at least five shark bites were reported on Long Island.

The first incident was recorded on Tuesday, when a 15-year-old girl was bitten on the leg while swimming at Robert Moses Beach, according to CNN.

According to George Gorman, the Long Island Regional Director for New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, no sharks were observed by the girl or anyone else at the time of the incident, but the bite was most likely caused by a shark.

On Tuesday, a 15-year-old boy was also reportedly bitten on the foot by a shark while surfing off Fire Island's Kismet Beach

Three more people were bitten on the same day, including a 47-year-old man swimming in chest deep water off Quogue Village Beach.

The incident left him with laceration on his knee and was from a "large marine animals" believed to be a shark.

The two other victims were a 49-year-old man at Pines Beach and a woman west of Cherry Grove.

Authorities said most of the victim did not sustain life threating injuries.

Drone for surveillance

Following several possible incidents of shark bites off local beaches, New York lifeguards are being trained to utilize drones and personal watercraft to monitor the area.

One of the lifeguard supervisors who pilots the drone at Jones Beach is Cary Epstein.

He said a tiny batter powered aircraft make at least three sweeps each day, one before the opening, then midday and a final round before the end of the day.

"Despite the nervousness over what's going on right now in New York, people swim in the ocean every day, and they have for centuries," he told the AP. "But we do have to remember that we are cohabitating, and this is their house."

Meanwhile, the ABC News reported that a $1 million is provided to buy at least 42 drones and training staff to use them.

Dan Keefe, spokesperson of New York's Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, said half of the funds will use to support Long Island beaches while the other half will be shared by New York City and Westchester Country beaches.

He added that their office is working to procure and distribute the drones as soon as possible.

Consult with shark experts

Greg Metzger, chief field coordinator with the Sofo Shark Research Program in Binghamton, New York, told The Guardian that surveillance methods used to spot sharks are not ideal, noting that education about sharks for beachgoers is more sustainable to increase safety.

According to the study conducted by the Sofo program, sharks are rarely at the shallow depths that allow them to be detected by surveillance.

"90% 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.

Metzger stated that even experts like himself find it challenging to spot sharks using means such as drones.

He also encourages authorities to consult with shark experts before implementing several measures to spot sharks.

On Wednesday, New York State Parks published a drone footage of roughly 50 huge marine animals swimming near Robert Moses Beach.

The department initially thought they were sharks before determining they were fish, most likely black drum.