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With two shark attacks off Cape Cod in the space of one month, the authorities are asking for additional measures to ensure the safety of the beaches.
"This is a problem that is getting worse," Wellfleet City Administrator Daniel Hoort said yesterday after the death of a 26-year-old shark at Newcomb Beach. "If we react too far in this reaction, I agree with that."
US Representative Bill Keating, who represents the region, yesterday tweeted his condolences to the family of Arthur Medici and said, "In the future, I will call meetings with the National Parks Service and coordinate the meetings. local and state authorities. to resolve this problem. "
Keating could not be reached yesterday for further comments on his projects.
Saturday's deadly shark attack was the first in Massachusetts for 82 years. The odds of being attacked by a shark in US waters were estimated at one in 11.5 million, compared to 1 in 5,000 chance of being struck by lightning. But the weekend's attack was the second shark sting this summer. On August 15, a New York doctor was seriously injured on a beach in Truro. Experts have attributed a boom in the number of sharks to the growing population of seals that they feed on.
Brian Carlstrom, National Superintendent of Cape Cod National Seashore, said his organization had a "Shark Working Group" for about five years, increasing signage, but has so far decided not to take action Many of the measures used in waters notoriously infested with sharks in Australia and South Africa do not work so well here – the water is too rough, deep and cloudy for overflights or buoy systems to do much.
"We insisted that the public be more aware," he said – so that people are aware of the possible dangers when they see seals, for example.
Governor Charlie Baker's office declined to comment on the anti-shark measures, referring the Herald to the Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. EEA Spokeswoman Katie Gronendyke said the Maritime Fisheries Division was focusing on early warning signs.
County Commissioner Ron Beaty told the Herald yesterday that he called the commission hearings, saying a regional response was needed.
"It is unfortunate that our community leaders and political leaders have failed to tackle this problem," Beaty said. "Everyone put their head in the sand."
Last year, Beaty made waves claiming a premium on sharks, but yesterday he said, "In the long run you will have to eliminate the seal population."
Meanwhile, Hoort said he was told rescuers were at Saturday's shark attack site in less than 10 minutes, challenging an Internet account that lasted up to 25 minutes. But Hoort said that he would look into the question today. Wellfleet public safety officials did not respond to requests for comments yesterday.
"If there is something that has caused a delay, I would like to know," Hoort said.
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