Two More Shark Sightings At Jones Beach

Long Beach NY

16 August, 2021

11:59 AM

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LIDO BEACH, NY — The number of shark sightings keeps growing, as two more were spotted Monday morning at Jones Beach, County Executive Laura Curran confirmed. That brings the total to 26, six more sharks than Nassau saw during the entire summer of 2020, she said at a news conference Monday. Although a shark attack remains a rare occurrence, the trend is bringing them closer to the shore. However, Curran pointed out that most of the sharks seen this season are sand sharks or thresher sharks, which are not known to attack humans. Occasionally, there have been more aggressive shark species circling Nassau, including a bull shark pulled in by a fisherman at Nickerson Beach last year. That beach is adopting a new shark warning system. A purple flag with a silhouette of a shark "signifies to swimmers to use caution," Curran said. After a shark is spotted anywhere along Nassau County's coast, the flag will fly for at least 24 hours. The flag will be position at the beach's entrance. "Our goal is not to scare people, but we do have an obligation to warn our residents and our visitors of how to avoid danger," Curran said.