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Rockaway Beach reopens for swimming after another shark scare
By
Phil Corso
Published Jul 24, 2022
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By
Phil Corso
Published Jul 24, 2022
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Rockaway Beach reopened for swimming on Sunday after another shark sighting on Saturday left beachgoers stuck on land.
The city Parks Department said the New York Police Department conducted an aerial survey of the area on Sunday morning before giving the green light to reopen for swimming between regular beach hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The shark sighting on Saturday came after at least six people had been bitten while swimming in Long Island’s beaches. Another sighting on Tuesday near the peninsula’s shoreline also closed down the beach for swimming.
Officials would continue regularly monitoring the beach from land and sky, via aerial drones, throughout the day, the city said.
Conservation efforts involving New York’s marine ecosystem have given shark populations room to grow in abundance in the region, according to experts, which the city referred to in a statement on Sunday.
"We understand there may be residual fear, but the presence of sharks in the ocean is the result of successful long-term conservation efforts and a sign of a healthy environment," the Parks Department said on Twitter. "Sharks are generally uninterested in humans, and shark attacks remain extremely rare."
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Phil Corso
Phil Corso is the evening news editor at WNYC/Gothamist. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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