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PolWatch
07-01-2015, 06:09 AM
North Carolina seems to be having a rash of shark attacks. Contrary to popular movies, this is not usual. This article offers a few explanations about the conditions contributing to the attacks. <cue music from Jaws>

'Two people were bitten by sharks off the coast of North Carolina this weekend, bringing the total number of shark attacks in the state up to five in under three weeks. While some have speculated that shark fishing in the area is responsible for this uptick in the number of bloody encounters, others say the reasons for the attacks are probably a bit more complicated than that.
<snip>
"What they're doing is having bleeding, struggling fish in the water and sharks, like all animals, know where to get food. It's like if they allowed bear-feeding stations next to playgrounds at Yellowstone National Park. That would be crazy," Levine said. But while fishing practices may help explain the two attacks along the southern shore of North Carolina, they don't necessarily tell the whole story of the recent surge in attacks. A number of other factors could be turning the waters off North Carolina into the perfect place for a shark attack, Burgess said.
<snip>
One of those surprising factors involves rainfall. Parts of North Carolina have been abnormally dry or have experienced moderate drought conditions for several weeks, according to Burgess and the North Carolina Division of Water Resources (http://www.ncwater.org/drought/). This means the salinity, or salt content, of ocean water close to shore is higher than usual.

And sharks aren't the only fish that seem to milling around close to the beach of late. Large schools of Atlantic menhaden (a type of herring) have been spotted very close to the North Carolina coast in recent weeks, Burgess said. This oily fish is a rich source of nutrients for sharks (http://www.livescience.com/38976-large-shark-eat-shark.html), which tend to follow large schools of menhaden along the coast.

more at link: http://news.yahoo.com/shark-attacks-north-carolina-perfect-storm-may-causing-113512395.html

Common
07-01-2015, 06:28 AM
Pol you are of course right that shark attacks are not as often as portrayed. That however doesnt ease peoples fears of shark attacks. There have been ALOT lately and not just in NC in SC and fla too and on the west coast recently.

PolWatch
07-01-2015, 06:36 AM
We have not had any attacks in my area recently but there have been numerous sightings. Yesterday the local news had a video of a 12' hammerhead about 10 foot off a local beach.

This area has had a lot of rain so we are probably experiencing some of the same conditions as NC.

Peter1469
07-01-2015, 01:32 PM
7th shark attack.

Anyone want to have a beach party in North Carolina?

PolWatch
07-01-2015, 01:35 PM
I'll wave at ya from the beach...:cool2:

PolWatch
07-01-2015, 04:27 PM
This man stays calm in an emergency!

'Patrick Thornton was at the beach with his family, swimming in the water, when he felt a tug at his foot. That tug happened to be a 5-foot shark. The 47-year-old was attacked Friday in the shallow waters of Avon (http://abcnews.go.com/topics/business/companies/avon-products.htm) Beach on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, one of six shark attacks (http://abcnews.go.com/topics/news/shark-attack.htm) on North Carolina beaches in June. The Charlotte, North Carolina, resident fought back.

It took a pretty big chunk out of my right leg, so I started punching the shark, and then it grabbed my back and must have bit me in the back,” Thornton said. Thornton managed to get the shark off of him. His niece and nephew, located nearby, made it to shore. But his son Jack stayed in the water, paralyzed with fear.

“I ran over and grabbed Jack, and as I was bringing him to the shore, the shark came and bit me again in the back, and this time he bit me really, really hard,” Thornton said. Thornton says he punched the shark again. Finally, it swam off. Once onshore, Thornton was rushed to the hospital, suffering wounds to his right leg and deep punctures in his back.

If a shark attacks, experts say, you should use whatever you can to fight back.

Thornton is now home and recovering. He says it might be a little while before he visits the beach again. “I will probably spend more time in the mountains,” he said"

https://gma.yahoo.com/north-carolina-man-started-punching-shark-attacked-122148774--abc-news-topstories.html

Peter1469
07-01-2015, 04:31 PM
Never give up.

PolWatch
07-01-2015, 04:33 PM
I don't think I would be able to stay that calm.

Captain Obvious
07-03-2015, 08:31 PM
http://wtkr.com/2015/07/02/outer-banks-fishermen-reeling-in-half-eaten-fish/

Outer Banks fishermen reeling in half-eaten fish


Outer Banks, NC – Fishermen in the Outer Banks are reeling in fish after fish this summer. Most of those fish are bitten in half by sharks.

“It’s really heart wrenching when you catch a $1,000 fish, and you can’t get it to the boat. It’s nothing but a chunk of mangled up meat,” fisherman Glen Hopkins told NewsChannel 3.

It’s been a problem for off-shore fisherman for weeks.

PolWatch
07-03-2015, 08:40 PM
NC is not the place to go swimming in the ocean this year. We are having a lot of sightings around here but no attacks.

Tricia
07-03-2015, 08:46 PM
We are going to the beach in SC in August. Guess whose children are NOT going swimming in the ocean.

PolWatch
07-03-2015, 08:49 PM
Most beaches have a flag system for shark warnings. One of the articles I posted here has suggestions of things to watch for....bait fish jumping, etc.

Captain Obvious
07-03-2015, 08:53 PM
Most beaches have a flag system for shark warnings. One of the articles I posted here has suggestions of things to watch for....bait fish jumping, etc.

I think I told you the story when we were down on Orange Beach, me and the kid were in the water and a shitload of fish jumped out, hit me in the back. I grabbed him and pulled him out of the water with me.

PolWatch
07-03-2015, 08:55 PM
I think I told you the story when we were down on Orange Beach, me and the kid were in the water and a shitload of fish jumped out, hit me in the back. I grabbed him and pulled him out of the water with me.

smart move. Some people like to swim at daylight or dusk....bad idea....usual feeding time

Redrose
07-03-2015, 09:18 PM
7th shark attack.

Anyone want to have a beach party in North Carolina?


Anyone entering the water off the Carolinas now is just ringing the dinner bell for the sharks.

Weeks ago when the young girl lost an arm to a shark and got a serious leg injury too, why wasn't the beach closed? Two hours later a 16 year old boy has his left arm taken off at the shoulder by a shark, maybe even the same shark.

This tells me people are profoundly stupid.

Bob
07-03-2015, 09:27 PM
We are going to the beach in SC in August. Guess whose children are NOT going swimming in the ocean.

Mine swims in the ocean a lot. But at Hawaii.

Hal Jordan
07-03-2015, 10:19 PM
They're just gearing up for Shark Week...

PolWatch
07-04-2015, 06:52 AM
NC version of 'Get off my lawn' :grin:

http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/cOQzmjH2hAjv0FvFKVCSlw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTU0MDtpbD1wbGFuZTtweW 9mZj0wO3E9NzU7dz05NjA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/gma/us.abcnews.go.com/ht_shark_02_lb_150703_16x9_992.jpg
Amid a string of shark attacks (http://abcnews.go.com/topics/news/shark-attack.htm) in North Carolina, two beach-goers turned the tables on one shark that got a little bit too close for comfort today

These photos, provided by witness Anna Korman, show one of the men grabbing the shark by its tail and pulling it right out of the water. Stunned vacationers gathered on the sand, snapping photos of the shark up-close. Seven shark attacks have been reported in North Carolina in June, according to authorities.


A beach-goer told ABC affiliate WRIC in Richmond, Virginia (http://wric.com/2015/07/03/8news-viewer-sends-photo-of-shark-captured-on-n-c-beach/) the shark measured about 77 inches.
After the shark was measured, it was released back into the water, according to Finlay.

http://news.yahoo.com/men-catch-shark-north-carolina-beach-string-attacks-202441985--abc-news-topstories.html

PolWatch
07-04-2015, 06:53 AM
Hint to swimmers: it ain't smart to swim in the same area that has people attracting sharks by fishing.

McCool
07-08-2015, 09:52 AM
Where are the DOLPHINS for &%$! sake!?!

Peter1469
07-08-2015, 02:54 PM
Away from the sharks?