Coinciding with the rise of shark attacks, the number of sharks have been growing on the east coast. Even with this news, scientists are not saying that the growth of the shark population is a bad thing. They view this rise in the shark population as a necessity. The National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration have actually been surveying the amount of sharks since 1986, and they assisted in banning fishing of certain sharks because they were beginning to die out. This is not the case today. Since the ban, the shark population has since stopped floundering and has gradually increased to a great number. The scientists have noticed a 55% increase of sharks since the last time they took a count in 2012.
COUNTING SHARKS
One might wonder how scientists are able to figure out how many sharks exactly are around the east coast. Long story short, they catch the sharks, haul them on board, tag and measure all of them to better study them, and then let them go back in the water again. What if the sharks are a bit on the large side? No big deal. They actually weigh and measure the sharks on the side of boat instead. This is something that they have been doing every two to three years since the time that they started this survey. The largest shark that they have encountered was a Mammoth Tiger Shark that measured 14 feet long.
SHARK WEEK IS NOW EVERY WEEK ON THE EAST COAST
Yes, there have been a lot more reports of shark attacks. Yes, the population of sharks are on the rise on the east coast. Although the NOAA aren’t positive what is creating the conditions for the shark attacks. They believe that there is a possibility that other environmental issues are causing the sharks to come closer to the shore and are therefore more likely to attack while there. They have also suggested that a change in oceanographic conditions and a rise in the number of people swimming in the water may be other factors as well. At this time, there seems to be no answer.
