Sharks Sightings Have Increased Dramatically Off the Coast of Connecticut This Summer

It's become like a scene out of the movie Jaws. More local fishermen are reporting shark sightings fairly close to shore here in Connecticut and up and down the New England coastline.

While you're enjoying the ocean waters, something large and hungry could be lurking close by.

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More and more local fishermen have been reporting shark sightings fairly close to the shore. The sightings have occurred not only off the Connecticut shoreline, but off the coast of Rhode Island and New York as well.

So the big question everyone wants to know is, why are these sharks treading so close to the shoreline?

According to wfsb.com, the obvious answer is food. Shark experts, like UConn scientist Peter Auster, who has been tracking these predators for years, says that sharks are preying on certain fish that are prevalent in the shallow waters. Seems the white sharks are preying on the seals and the thresher sharks are looking for the mackerel.

Local fishermen are amazed at the number of sharks they are spotting while out on their fishing charters. Just last week, a fisherman from Niantic caught a 300 pound shark just off the Connecticut coast.

Scientist Auster admits that the shark numbers are definitely up and the sharks are doing exactly what they do, and that's searching for food. However he says there's no reason to believe that people have to be over-cautious and can't stick their feet in the ocean.

Another theory being kicked around about the larger number of shark sightings is that because of the pandemic, more people are actually out in their boats on the water, and that means more eyes on what's happening, therefore more shark sightings.

People who live in these beach areas are becoming concerned. If you've visited Cape Cod this summer, you may have noticed signs posted at the beaches warning swimmers about these shark sightings. According to Boston University, there have actually been five people attacked by sharks since 2012 and in 2018 one of those attacks turned deadly.

The bottom line is if you are going for a swim in the ocean, only go in waist deep and keep an eye out for areas that may have warning signs posted.