Sharks are increasingly spotted along the east coast of the United States: three of them are now near New York

Summer is the beach season, which means the chances of meeting sharks are greatly increased. According to zoologists, the population of this predator is growing along the east coast of the United States, they are increasingly seen near the beaches, writes Hill.

According to shark tracking system OCEARCH, there are currently over 70 chipped sharks off the east coast of the United States, including four great whites. They were designated a protected species in most federal waters in 1997, and while the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC) says these sharks are still under threat, conservation efforts seem to be paying off as their populations increase.

“Prior to receiving federal protection in the late 1990s, the population of great white sharks in the Northwest Atlantic was estimated to have declined 80% as a result of their fishing,” said AWSC CEO Cynthia Wigren. "Over the past decade, fishermen, scientists and holidaymakers have increasingly noticed great white sharks, which suggests the beginning of a recovery process, but the species is still under threat."

Huge sharks near New York

Over the past few days, a massive white shark known as Freya has been sighted off the coast of New Jersey and Long Island, according to OCEARCH.

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Freya's last location was recorded near Montauk, New York. Freyja, a female white shark 11'8 '' (3,55 m) long and 883 lb (400 kg), probably follows the shoals of Atlantic Menhadens she uses as a food source.

Before Freya was sighted off the coast of Long Island, she was seen in Delaware Bay. Freya was chipped in March 2021, at the same time she received a name.

According to tracker, near New York there are now two more white sharks - Martha and Charlotte.

Shark attack threat

More sharks mean more attacks. Over the past few weeks, a shark attack on humans has been recorded off the coast of Florida, these predators have been seen on the beaches of South Carolina and Rhode Island.

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The chances of dying from a shark attack are quite low - in the United States, on average, one person dies from such an attack per year, but non-fatal attacks happen much more often - about 40 per year. Last year was the deadliest in 8 years in terms of shark attacks. In the United States, sharks have killed three people, but the number of shark attacks on humans worldwide has been declining for the third year in a row.

You can track sharks on the Atlantic coast of the United States using tracker OCEARCH.