Why the Waters Around New York City Are Turning Into Shark Central

This summer's surge in shark attacks around New York City comes as increasing numbers of the predatory creatures are hunting prey in the area, experts told The Messenger on Tuesday.

Shark populations in New York waters "have been increasing in recent years due to decades of conservation and fisheries management," a spokesperson for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in an email.

"Prey populations, such as Atlantic menhaden, are also recovering in New York waters," NOAA Fisheries spokesperson Andrea Gomez said in an email.

"These baitfish attract many predators including whales, dolphins, seabirds and also sharks."

Gomez said the situation was part of a "long-term trend of more prey and more predators in the Atlantic as fish populations are being better conserved and the ocean environment has become healthier."

"The chance of encountering wildlife increases with more people visiting beaches," she added.

On Monday, a woman swimming off Rockaway Beach in Queens became the city's first shark-attack victim in 70 years.

The unidentified, 65-year-old woman suffered a gruesome gash on her left thigh and was reportedly saved by police officers who applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.

The terrifying incident came after five Long Island beachgoers were bitten over two days early last month.

Data posted by the Ocearch research group also showed that a 10-1/2 foot, 600-pound great white shark named Rose swam past Long Island's South Shore in June.

Three species of sharks that attack humans -- great whites, sandbars and tigers -- are among those that are encountered in the area "with any frequency," University of Florida expert Gavin Naylor told The Messenger.

Recent sightings of black tip sharks, which have bitten people, have also been reported, said Naylor, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said more than 13 species of sharks make "seasonal migrations to the New York region of the Atlantic Ocean every year."

"It is believed that the negative interactions that have occurred in New York have been the result of sharks misidentifying prey," a DEC spokesperson said in an email.

The DEC also warned that the area where people swim and surf "is a dynamic environment and conditions such as the presence of baitfish, rip current activity and water visibility" can keep people from spotting sharks.

To reduce risks, beachgoers should "always remain alert" and stay away from waters with seals, schools of fish, splashing fish or diving seabirds.

Other guidance includes not going into the ocean at dusk, night or dawn, avoiding murky water, staying close enough to shore to stand in the water and only swimming, paddling or surfing in groups.