NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday ordered several state agencies to implement increased patrols and surveillance of shark activity, including drone and helicopter monitoring, along the Long Island State Park Beaches after several recent shark encounters in the Atlantic Ocean waters off of the South Shore.
"We are taking action to expand patrols for sharks and protect beachgoers from potentially dangerous situations." Hochul said in a statement. "We encourage all New Yorkers to listen to local authorities and take precautions to help ensure safe and responsible beach trips this summer."
At Hochul's direction, the state parks will increase lifeguard staffing through overtime at ocean beaches by 25%.
There will also be additional surveillance measures through expanded drone availability, increasing from one to three available drones at Jones Beach State Park and one to two available drones at Robert Moses State Park and Hither Hills State Park will be assigned its first drone.
Other actions include:
• Deploying Park Police patrol boats to search the water.
• Dispatching New York State Police helicopter patrols over the South Shore waters.
• Distributing outreach materials focused on education via social media, DEC listserv and website to the public.
• Bolstering federal, state, county, and local partnerships to share resources and information about potential shark sightings and better support correct identification of sharks and other fish.
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The move comes in the wake of several shark attacks and sightings on Long Island, including a sighting on Lido Beach on Sunday morning that temporarily banned swimming.
At Jones Beach Saturday, there had been reports of shark sightings, prompting orders for swimmers to avoid the water for hours at two different locations.
There have been at least four incidents of people being bitten by sharks in the last month as well — though no victims have been seriously injured.
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