Beach warning signs are easily ignored by swimmers, as shark bites increase
Another approach is needed to encourage the public to be safe in shark territory, experts say.
Plymouth, Massachusetts The bright-red capital letters, plastered alongside photographs of toothy sharks, are meant to warn people that sightings of great white sharks have increased along the New England coast in recent years. So far in summer 2021, citizen scientists have reported 50 great whites off Cape Cod alone.
The predators, which can grow up to 18 feet long, are attracted to gray seals, a species that has bounced back along the U.S. East Coast since the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act banned hunting of the species in 1972.
The recovery of shark prey species, coupled with an increase in beach tourism worldwide, are fueling a gradual rise in shark bites around the globe, from about 157 incidents
