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Sharks getting too close for comfort on US coasts

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    Insight from Discovery Channel shark adviser Andy Dehart

  • Duration 4:34
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I -- no hard turns new close calls with sharks on both the US 'cause.

What in Massachusetts just topic with the -- -- my fair picture look.

At the size and -- an okay.

That's a big shark folks.

And look at this guy with his kayak and they that the paddle boarder in front of them and we're not talking about this when you do keep had a really fast and possibly -- -- to the shark.

Or do you just try to disappear and not paddle at all.

They say they they've already had two great white sightings this year.

Over -- and as that Chatham our -- area of Cape Cod and one on the West Coast to shark taking a bite out of a kayak.

And that's shook up the locals there.

You know of this -- for a lot of years and I've never -- -- Doesn't scare me I'm aware of it you know we're in their turf.

You know it's always that element.

And I'd be lying to tell you -- they're gonna tell you don't think at least once about it.

Read its size and -- Also the director of -- for the national aquarium Andy welcome good to have you here good morning what's your reaction of the picture the guy with the kayak.

And that's shark right behind him.

Certainly it's a stunning image and the families that are there the -- -- can be very frightening but we do need to understand that.

Sharks are part of an apple ecosystem in the ocean.

When you look at that picture you see that the dorsal men what's your -- -- how big that circus.

From the reports I've heard that could get up to about fourteen foot -- -- -- and attend a twelve foot range.

All right so what would you advise this this man to jail.

We just went out for Neitzel kayaking trip in the afternoon should -- -- really fast and try to get -- -- or do you just try to sort of disappeared by not paddling near the shark.

Well I think -- did the right thing he started a slow track back to beach and that's the best place to be we know the great whites are very visual predators and they're not out to hunt human beings human beings are not on their menu but.

They will come up and help them out certain things and that's the case that happened and California -- -- -- actually got bit.

Great white came up that test -- see what it was and then realized it wasn't food.

At this picture shocking to -- I'm very familiar with this beach in asset.

And this has to be pretty close in this -- on a paddle board and -- borders don't generally go out where it's too deep.

I we know there's -- -- seals in this area that's why they're there but this one seems very close to those human beings.

Yet as the close as these doesn't come in -- but is because the seals.

Seal populations in that area have grown from about 101000 animals to almost 300000 animals.

-- the last forty years since we protected the seals.

At the same time we've been decimating shark populations at a rate of about 73 million per year.

So now that the great whites are protected in the -- are protected we do -- -- there's gonna happen.

As sharks keep coming back the same area because there's lots of -- that are.

They make that great point because the seals have now been protected and it can't kill -- sealed legally.

And so now there's -- their population has just been arriving at the same time people.

Do try to -- the -- from some of these sharks and that has that that has severely shrunk.

Their populations -- what is a whole lot of those few sharks out there to eat isn't there.

There is you know there's it's of -- of seals in that area and we do know these sharks are coming back closer to the animals -- -- last year.

I have come back into the Massachusetts area but.

Yes because they tagged them so they know the sharks that that that they spotter planes go and and then they get out on the edge of the boats and they they kind of chipped that with a little computer -- -- that they contract that which is a good way.

To keep track of them but there has -- has not been an attack on a human in that area since 1930s sex.

I mean are are we testing -- out there what do you think about how safe it is to swim in those areas because they close the beach from time to time but not all the time.

Well historically there's only been three attacks in Massachusetts the last fatality was indeed in 1936.

I think the lifeguards are doing the right things when there is a great white shark spotted they'd pull people out of the -- -- -- the right the right course of action.

But for folks that are at the beach -- just got to be aware of your surroundings if there's a lot of seals and sea lions in the area.

Whether on the East Coast or West Coast make sure you're kind of moved to a different -- -- come out the water -- -- -- in the water.

And in Massachusetts and particularly the seals are really plentiful in a protected area that people are not typically baiting so that the risk -- the lower.

Yeah you know as a lot of us still pops up right next year when you least expect it say out of their fall -- thank you very much.

Good to have you here today -- -- picture.

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