Crime & Safety
Fire Island Beach Closed After Shark Sightings
They were spotted offshore chowing down on a large school of bunker fish 15 yards offshore near Davis Park Beach, a town spokesman said.
DAVIS PARK, NY — It looks as if the sharks have headed east.
Davis Park Beach on Fire Island has been closed to swimming since Monday after sharks were spotted feeding offshore in the Atlantic Ocean, according to the Town of Brookhaven.
“I was told there was a lot of bunker activity, about 15 yards offshore, and with the bunker comes the sharks,” wrote town spokesman Jack Krieger in an email Tuesday.
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Due to the large school of bunker fish that were being fed upon, the swimming prohibition was continued, he added.
In a drone video, which was posted to Fire Island and Beyond by local wildlife photographer Mike Busch, sharks can be seen feeding in the center of a school of the plentiful Menhaden.
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In a report on the website, Busch wrote that he noticed the school about 100 yards offshore when he was at Davis Park Saturday and “there was clearly something harassing them,” so he sent up some drones “for several flights to get a closer look at what was going on.”
He continued by saying that the first drone he sent up had a software issue, so he sent out a backup.
“From prior experience, I know to look for holes in the middle of the school where predators will be easy to pick out among the thousands of fish,” he wrote, adding, “As soon as I reached the outside edge of the school, I counted two sharks just outside the mass of fish and then a hole appeared with a good-sized shark clearly exposed near the surface.”
A humpback whale later appeared, but swam away before he was able to capture its image, he said.
Busch also saw several large stingrays — possibly cownose — swimming through the school, according to his report.
Sharks have been sighted farther west in the waters off Nassau County over the past two weeks, causing the Town of Hempstead to close Lido Beach. A lifeguard reported possibly having been bitten by one on July 26.
Up until Monday, sharks have not caused any beach closures. The only visitors have been humpback whales and dolphins, which also feed on bunker fish.
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