Shark Attacks in North Carolina Six people were bitten by sharks near beaches in North Carolina (NC)
Shark Attacks in North CarolinaSix people were bitten by sharks near beaches in North Carolina (NC) in June. Six! By comparison, 25 people were attacked in those same waters from 2005 to 2014. While it’s certainly not a real-life Jaws (experts say that the attacks have most likely been by bull sharks and tiger sharks), it’s still quite serious. Two teens were attacked 90 minutes and 3km (2 miles) apart, with both losing part of their left arms. The most recent victim is in serious condition after being attacked while swimming just 6 meters (20 feet) from the shore.Why are so many attacks happening this year?Some have speculated that people fishing for sharks are to blame for luring sharks in closer to shore, while others think new restrictions on shark fishing have allowed the population to get too large. Experts say it probably has more to do with water temperature, nutrients, and salinity (although swimmers should obviously stay away from fishing piers where fishermen are deliberately attracting sharks).The waters around NC reached 27C (80F) in April this year; usually temperatures don’t get that high until summer. Sharks prefer warmer water. So do some of the fish sharks prey one. The warm weather and pleasant water temperatures have also enticed more people into the water.NC’s coastal waters may also be saltier than usual. The state has been in a drought, so there is less freshwater flowing into and diluting the near-shore water. Experts say sharks prefer saltier water.There may be some upwelling as well, in which deep, cold, nutrient-rich water rises and mixes with the warmer water above. This creates excellent conditions for plankton to feed and reproduce, which in turn attracts smaller fish to the area to eat the plankton, which then brings in larger predators – including sharks.Additionally, there has reportedly been an increase in sea turtles in the area. It’s nesting season, and the turtles have arrived to lay their eggs on beaches. The sharks have arrived to eat the turtles.All of this means that there are more sharks in the area at the same time people are going to the beach.In spite of the increase in attacks in NC, it’s been an average year for attacks in the U.S. overall. The chance of getting bit by a shark is still just 1 in 11.5 million – significantly less than the odds of getting struck by lightning (1 in 700,000).REPhoto Credit: “Tiger shark” by Albert Kokhttp://bit.ly/1Lz0UfoReferences: http://bit.ly/1GV5eSPhttp://bit.ly/1JtONk2http://abcn.ws/1L981f7http://on.msnbc.com/1Kq7jKlhttp://wapo.st/1dtEBtshttp://n.pr/1LEPd7C -- source link
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