New Shark Sightings Prompt East Coast Safety Warning


New shark sightings have prompted Massachusetts officials to develop a safety brochure. State and local officials said the brochures are necessary to raise awareness and promote safety measures during the tourist season.

A total of 415,000 brochures were printed in anticipation of the tourist season. Although they were developed to prevent injury, the brochures are being criticized for perpetuating myths.

Center for Coastal Studies President Richard Delaney said the brochure’s cover photo is misleading:

“The cover has an extra-mean, toothy picture of a shark… It’s one more example of how we, as a society, have this general myth that these guys are big, nasty creatures.”

Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Wendy Northcross has similar concerns. Although she admits the brochures are generally informative, she is concerned that tourists will be unnecessarily frightened. She said the brochure “may have gone a little too far by saying don’t go into the water.”

As reported by Huffington Post, Northcross is also concerned that “sharks will be sensationalized or people will want to go on shark hunts.” She said new shark sightings have increased. However, she does not believe tourists should be overly concerned.

As discussed in the brochure, the Cape Cod shark sightings have increased as the seal population continues to grow. Although seals were previously hunted to near extinction, state and federal laws were eventually developed to protect the seals.

To prevent a shark encounter, swimmers and surfers are warned to avoid areas where seals are visibly present. The brochure also encourages swimmers to stay close to shore and swim within a group. Swimmers and surfers are also warned to “avoid wearing shiny jewelry or other accessories,” which many mimic fish scales.

Residents and tourists are encouraged to be specifically cautious in murky water, “between sandbars, or near steep drop offs.”

According to the brochure, there are numerous fishes and sharks which are mistakenly identified as great whites. Basking sharks and sunfish both have dorsal fins similar to the dangerous predators. However, neither is harmful to humans.

The brochure also explains that hunting and harvesting sharks is illegal in the state of Massachusetts. Although sharks are vulnerable to overexploitation, up to 100 million sharks are harvested every year — primarily for their fins.

Northcross said new shark sightings have increased and “the reality is… there has to be some public information.” However, some officials are concerned that the brochures could create an unnecessary panic.

[Image via Shutterstock]

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