Is This Why So Many Shark Attacks are Happening in North Carolina?

rockin'robin

rockin'robin

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On June 11, a 13-year-old girl was bitten by a shark at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina.

Three days later, two teenagers lost their left arms in shark attacks just 90 minutes apart at Oak Island.

Three more attacks occurred this past weekend, two on Friday and one on Saturday, off the coast of the Outer Banks.

So here’s the question everyone is asking:

Why are so many shark attacks happening in North Carolina?

National Geographic says that this series of shark attacks is part of a "rising trend" not only in the U.S. but worldwide:


“This year's incidents are part of a rising trend in the U.S. and much of the world over the past century. Overall, however, they remain relatively rare; an ocean swimmer has only a one in 11.5 million chance of being bitten by a shark, according to the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History."

The "ever-increasing amount of time" people spend in the ocean waters is increasing the "opportunities for interaction" between humans and sharks, the magazine explains:


“The most likely explanation is the ‘ever-increasing amount of time spent in the sea by humans, which increases the opportunities for interaction between the two affected parties,’ according to the Florida museum. A steadily rising human population is also a big factor."

The weather and currents flowing along the coast are also major considerations.


“The incidents are heavily dependent on weather and currents and are much more likely when the water temperature reaches 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 Celsius) and when strong currents flow north along the coast, bringing bait fish," writes National Geographic. "This year, those conditions appeared in April, and sharks soon followed, coming from Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.”

Some say fishing on beaches or on piers near swimmers is to blame for the recent attacks.

"Experts have theorized that all that bait and chum is attracting fish -- and sharks," reports ABC News. "Several of the recent attacks, including Friday's attack on a 47-year-old father as he scrambled to get children out of the water, and two attacks on June 14 have occurred in close proximity to fishing piers."

The town of Oak Island, N.C. is reportedly considering a temporary ban on shark fishing, especially with Fourth of July Weekend looming ahead.

North Carolina typically gets one to two shark attacks a year, University of North Carolina shark biologist Frank J. Schwartz told the magazine, but has had six this year in the span of one month.

To put things more into perspective, National Geographic reports that there were a total of 25 shark attacks in the Tarheel State from 2005 to 2014.

http://www.mrctv.org/blog/why-so-many-shark-attacks-are-happening-north-carolina#.j9pghf:b8dV
 
Overall, however, they remain relatively rare; an ocean swimmer has only a one in 11.5 million chance of being bitten by a shark, according to the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
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well that's reassuring...

We're going to the Outer Banks soon...
 
that all makes sense...comes down to humans cocking nature up.....
they found some turtles off the coast not far from me and where turtle there shark just hope sharkes don't know this and water to cold
 
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I hope people don't go gunho these poor creatures need help and we need to understand why and not go killing them
 
Man, 68, Bitten by Shark While Swimming Off North Carolina's Outer Banks

It's still not safe to go in the water.

A 68-year-old man swimming off the North Carolina coast was attacked by a shark Wednesday and had to be flown to the hospital, authorities said.

The unidentified beachgoer was in just waist-deep water, about 30 feet from the shore along Ocracoke Island, when the shark bit him at midday, said National Park Service spokeswoman Cyndy Holda.

She said the man was bitten on his left lower torso, his hip, his lower left leg and both hands. He was treated at the scene and flown to Greenville, on the mainland. His condition wasn't immediately known.

One witness said the man was able to swim to shore without any help, but he looked stunned and pale when he emerged from the water.

"His wound on his leg looked like a 5-inch gash," said North Carolina resident Lynette Holman, who was vacationing on Ocracoke with her husband. "The news spread really quickly, and everyone ran out of the water when they heard what happened."

Another witness, 15-year-old Jackson Fuqua, said the victim was bleeding and had a "baseball-size chunk taken out above his knee."

People weren't in a panic, Fuqua added, but park rangers were calling swimmers to the shore.

Holman said about eight people, including lifeguards, helped to tend to the man before an ambulance came and he was transported by air.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/sh...th-carolinas-outer-banks-bitten-shark-n385271
 
Yes, the number of shark attacks is above average

The number of shark attacks across the country is slightly above average for this time of year, and many of the incidents have occurred farther north than usual.

There have been 23 attacks in 2015, of which one in Hawaii was fatal, according to data from the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida.

Typically, the U.S. sees about 30 to 40 attacks, of which either zero or one is deadly, the Shark Attack File reported. To reach more than half the average number of attacks so early in the season and already have a fatality puts this year a bit above average, said George Burgess, the director of the Shark Attack File.

North Carolina has already seen six attacks this year, Burgess said. Two of the attacks occurred in the Outer Banks over the weekend. The state typically only sees one or two per year, Frank Schwartz, a shark biologist with the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, told National Geographic.

South Carolina has also seen its share of attacks — three so far, Burgess said.

The proximity of fisherman and swimmers is of particular concern in last weekend's attacks, Burgess told LiveScience. "Fishing off a beach where there are swimmers and surfers makes for a really bad mix," he said.

Drought conditions in the Carolinas have led to decreased fresh water runoff and thus to saltier sea water, which sharks prefer, Burgess added. According to the most recent U.S. Drought Monitor, about 65% of North Carolina and 52% of South Carolina were either abnormally dry or in drought conditions.

Baby sea turtles and menhaden fish have been more plentiful than usual, providing more attraction for the sharks, Burgess said.

The "ever-increasing amount of time spent in the sea by humans, which increases the opportunities for interaction between the two affected parties" could be one reason for the slight uptick in attacks, the Shark Attack File website reported.

In addition, 24/7 news and social media coverage tends to exaggerate the danger. Bees, wasps and snakes are each responsible for far more deaths annually in the U.S. than sharks, the Shark Attack File said.

"The chances of dying ... are markedly higher from many other causes (such as drowning and cardiac arrest) than from shark attack," according to the Shark Attack File.

In Florida, where shark attacks are more common, the 11 attacks so far this year have received little attention, Burgess said. However, publicity about the attacks might cause swimmers to think twice as we approach the busy Fourth of July weekend.

"I bet fewer and fewer people are swimming these days, so opportunities for interactions may be diminished for a while," said Daniel Abel, a marine scientist at Coastal Carolina University.

But Burgess remains concerned about the big holiday. "I can almost guarantee there'll be a bite or two this weekend," he said.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/06/30/shark-attacks-east-coast/29519371/
 
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