Long Island Shark Sightings Rise, But Scientists Say Numbers Are Stable
Scientists tag sharks off Long Island as sightings rise, but say populations are far below historic levels.
As drones and smartphones make shark sightings off Long Island more visible than ever, researchers are working to separate perception from reality. Biologists from the South Fork Natural History Museum’s Shark Research and Education Program are tagging sand tiger sharks in the waters off the Hamptons, aiming to build a scientific baseline for shark behavior in the region.
Lead field biologist Greg Metzger says the recent attention is misleading. "There's this huge misconception that there's this surge of sharks in Long Island waters," he said. "These sharks have always been here." Metzger notes that while he has personally observed an increase in numbers, these species are not new to the area.
Frank Quevedo, executive director of the museum, attributes the rise in sightings largely to technology. "There's more drones. Everybody's got a cell phone now," he said. He also stressed that current shark numbers are "not even close" to what they were a century ago.
Warming waters are playing a role in shifting shark movements. Metzger explained that Long Island waters are "getting warmer sooner and staying warmer longer," which gives southern species more time to migrate from Florida or South Carolina. An abundant food supply—including squid, bluefish, and especially menhaden—makes the journey worthwhile.
The tagging work is physically demanding. Metzger described breaking a scalpel blade on a shark's skin, calling it "a testament of how strong their skin actually is." He added that sharks have been refining their biology for 400 million years, making them "super efficient predators."
The research involves collecting blood samples and tagging sharks to track their movements. Quevedo emphasized the importance of these efforts: "We need sharks in order to sustain a healthy environment." He described sharks as keystone species whose removal could cause ecosystem crashes.
Target species for tagging include white sharks, dusky sharks, and sand tiger sharks. Quevedo explained that "target species means we want to catch them and tag them to learn more about them because there's not enough data on them to send to the scientific community to protect them."
By protecting top predators, researchers hope to maintain balanced ecosystems. "If you can protect the top predators in certain habitats, you're pretty much sustaining the world," Quevedo said.