Sharks will be back in waters off Long Island and New York City this summer season.
Shark Expert Greg Metzger with The South Fork Natural History Museum says the shark forecast is the same as it has been the last few years. The expectation is the same number of sharks and same species will be back near the beaches. This comes after a handful of people were bitten last season. However, Metzger says swimmers should not be afraid to go into the water.
"The chances of a negative interaction are still almost zero. We had millions of millions of people in the Long Island beaches last year and there were five individuals who had a negative interaction."
Governor Kathy Hochul is making more drones available for lifeguards and officials to monitor for sharks this season. However, Metzger says this could provide a false sense of security.
"The sharks are only at the surface for only a very very small amount of time."
Metzger urges folks to avoid swimming in bunker schools and not to go in the water at dawn and dusk to reduce the chances of a negative shark encounter. He'd like to see more shark awareness campaigns.