Posted on 04/12/2022 12:26:00 PM PDT by Capt. Tom
While many are frightened of great white sharks, a majority of people believe they have control over whether they encounter the apex predators along Cape Cod.
Tourists especially are taking actions to avoid shark encounters, but only a few Cape visitors have cut back on their beach trips because of sharks since a person was killed by a great white in Wellfleet four years ago.
That’s according to a new survey released Monday about humans coexisting with sharks and seals along the Cape.
Representative samples of Cape visitors, residents and commercial fishers — about 2,000 people in total — responded by mail and online to survey questions covering beliefs and attitudes about seals and sharks, their views of lethal and non-lethal management, and if the presence of seals and sharks has changed their behavior at the beach.
When they are at Cape beaches, residents and tourists alike take multiple actions to avoid encounters with sharks, with tourists being especially vigilant.
These actions include checking and obeying signage and warning systems (66% of residents, 77% of tourists), avoiding areas where sharks have been reported (63% of residents, 55% of tourists), following lifeguard instructions (54% of residents, 74% of tourists), and avoiding seals (57% of residents, 51% of tourists).
Tourists (40%) are more likely than residents (21%) and commercial fishers (10%) to visit patrolled beaches to reduce the risk of shark encounters.
“Tourists are the most active, which is probably a good indication of the work of beach managers to get out those messages about how to avoid shark encounters,” said principal study investigator Professor Jennifer Jackman, from Salem State University’s Department of Politics, Policy and International Relations.
Respondents in all three groups feel that they have control over whether or not they encounter sharks. Of residents, 68% said they have control, followed by 65% of tourists and 60% of commercial fishers.
But few respondents in any category say they limit splashing, use shark repellent devices, or had reduced the frequency of their beach visits (3% of tourists, 8% of residents, and 12% of commercial fishers).
Large majorities of respondents in each group support policies to prevent human-shark interactions, including increasing public education about sharks, improving signage at beaches, and establishing more patrols as a part of shark warning systems. However, commercial fishers consistently are less favorable toward these measures.
Commercial fishermen often have negative perceptions of seals and their ecological, economic and fishery impacts. They tend to blame seals for reducing and suppressing fish stocks, hurting the economy and creating public safety risks by attracting sharks.
Moving forward, this survey will be provided to town, state and federal officials.
“They can then use that to identify and highlight the areas where we need to do some work,” Lisa Sette from the Center for Coastal Studies said, adding, “It’s pretty clear that the public — tourists, voters, fishers — want more education, and they believe there is a need for more education. And also … the importance of signage.”
We are a couple of months away from them starting to show up in numbers.
It looks like Cape Cod is getting ready, since there are plenty of protected seals there and there are plenty of protected white sharks that will come back to feed on them. -Tom
No swimming at dusk or dawn. . .that helps somwhat.
I was there at the end of of July several years ago. Cape Cod is nice but the water on the ocean side was so cold I couldnt go any deeper than my knees. Makes New Jersey water feel like the Caribbean.
The sharks are local..
The majority of cape tourists are from NY, Nj and Quebec.
It seems to me. This is a lot cheaper solution than food stamps or gov subsidized lunch programs for the sharks.
By all shark related accounts I have read the feedback has been unanimous. All the sharks say, “they taste like chicken”.
How did they survey the sharks?............................
just made reservations to go back again to Brewster area. The beaches are very shallow there, no real fear of large sharks.
Navy?
The water is never to cold for a white shark even our Februay water. But they migrate south for breeding of to follow the whales.
The water here in New England is too cold for most people and they don't spend a lot of time swimming in it. This of course helps reduce white shark attacks since whites seem to look there prey over before attacking. Thank goodness whites don't have the same attitude as a Bull shark has, or there would be many more shark attacks. -Tom
“Navy?”
I wish. Just a Floridian.
LOL, You said watch out for the seals, I thought “Navy” Seals?
We used to go camping near he end of the cape every summer. I still remember the water temperatures written on chalk boards near the beach entrance - 55 degrees was pretty common. We were young and dumb and would stay in the water until our lips were blue (then stay in a bit longer.)
Okay that’s funny. Ha!
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