Great White Shark off coast of NY vs Grizzlies out West?

[3forks]

Anyone besides me wondering why the national news is reporting on a great white shark off the NY coast?

As pointed out on the ABC Evening News, a lot of people are heading to the beach in that area this weekend. I know that there were some shark attacks and a fatality on the east coast last year. However, I guess I wonder why a shark in that area is newsworthy. Plenty of people out west camp in grizzly bear habitat all the time - and last year there was a much publicized and discussed fatality.

Is a great white shark inherently more dangerous that a grizzly? I'd say "no", and suppose that a great white possibly swimming in an area where people recreate is just more sensational than Grizzlies out west. I guess the fact that a lot of the behavior tourists display around animals in National Parks like Yellowstone must be because those same tourists must believe that the animals are tame because they're in a park. I can't really envision someone yelling "SHARK!" and people running into the ocean to try and get closer to it or take selfies with it.

Anyway, all this recent discussion of the attempts to reintroduce species like wolves and Grizzlies to states like Colorado make me wonder how it could ever be seen as a prudent move. A lot of people would say that reintroducing wolves and Grizzlies is going to lead to human fatalities... who knows? I do know that shark numbers world wide are dwindling. Imagine if a conservation group proposed transplanting sharks in areas where their numbers are low; but those same areas are where humans recreate and use commercially. If the national news is covering one single shark this week and discussing the precautions beach cities are taking because of it - I can only imagine the uproar from people if there was an effort to release sharks.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Ever heard of a flick called jaws?

I live in that neck of the woods and it grabs attention.

You may know that Seal populations are reestablishing on some of the east coast beaches since they were protected in 1997 and the big whites are coming in right behind them.

Couple that with more sharks that are tagged with better and long lasting tags that give near real time location and it makes good click bait or punchy news segments.

Also, Keep in mind that most major news desks are based in NYC and I would bet 85% of NYC media execs and on camera news anchors have summer or weekend homes on Long Island.

Personally, I think it presents an interesting parallel with the grizzly and wolf debates. Most people probably thought protecting seals was a good thing. They probably never thought it would spike the great white population and shark attacks and sightings a few years later. I wonder how people how are loudly focused on grizzly protection and wolf reintroduction will feel after the full impact on other wildlife is realized in those areas.

 

[KurtR]

If I have to pick going in the forest with the grizzly or water with a shark. I am going in the Forrest every time. But you do have a point that is way to rational for the crazies to comprehend

 

[brsnow]

As a diver you hope to see a great white on a dive. As a hunter I prefer to not see a grizzly while hunting.

 

[ohoopee]

I believe its pure financial decision. Scaring 30k people on beach for weekend will sell advertising. 1k people in forest with no internet doesn't sell many ads.

 

[5MilesBack]

Most people probably thought protecting seals was a good thing. They probably never thought it would spike the great white population and shark attacks and sightings a few years later.

Thinking and working things through beforehand is not the strong suit of most people. If it was........we wouldn't have all the problems we see in our country today. But we see it on a daily basis in government, courts, protests, etc, etc. Most can't see past their nose.

 

[jb1842]

I bet if Discovery did a Grizzly Week they would get more attention.

 

[Ratbeetle]

Because with all due respect to the power of a Grizzly, this is the stuff of nightmares!

 

[tmwtrfwler]

numbers game ... pure and simple. more people on the coast and at the beach vs. in the woods camping with griz.

I fish on Cape Cod and Nantucket in the summer and can tell you that it's pretty cool to know they're out there. Haven't seen one with my own eyes yet but the stories of them smoking a seal yards from the beach while people are there are pretty cool. Cool in a $hit your pants cool and get the kids out of the water cool. They're amazing creatures. Our rule on the beach in Nantucket is stay away from seals. If a seal comes through we get out of the water.

 

[Brendan]

Great whites are getting very common here because of the seals. First one I saw was from the tower of a fishing boat - HUGE....

If you give me the choice of all of a sudden being surprised at close range by a shark or by a grizz - I'll take the shark. The Bear is a lot more dangerous to you in that scenario because the sharks don't have the same protective instinct a bear does.

 

[lif]

As a diver you hope to see a great white on a dive. As a hunter I prefer to not see a grizzly while hunting.

I have dove my whole life, and you either have huge balls or a small brain if you’re hoping to see a white shark while you’re diving.

 

[brsnow]

I have dove my whole life, and you either have huge balls or a small brain if you’re hoping to see a white shark while you’re diving.

I certainly do not have a small brain.

 

[5MilesBack]

I certainly do not have a small brain.

Have you been checked for testicular cancer?

 

[Poser]

Got bitten on the lower leg/ankle/foot by a 6 foot, juvenile tiger shark. The amount of power is incomprehensible and, compared to a adult Great White, I got stung by a yellow jacket.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Had a client from Central America a couple of years ago. An avid fly fisherman, his first trip to Alaska. His real job was tour diving with sharks. Scared spittless of bears. We encountered grizz every day, one of those was a 16 bear day. Poor guy could hardly fish. Year later I visited him. Third day we hung up the fly rods and went diving, no cage. I’ll take bears thank you very much.

 

[elkstabber]

Funny thing about sharks is that they are everywhere. When the swimmers leave the beaches in the evening shark fishermen move in and start catching sharks in the surf immediately. The simple fact is that sharks rarely rarely rarely screw up and attack a human.

Conversely, there are many many many bears (grizz and black) that have come too close or shown aggression to humans. I'm thinking of all the bears with one or two ear tags, where each tag represents an encounter where the bear had to be relocated.

My opinion is that sharks pose way less of a threat to humans.

 

[Kootenay Hunter]

I listened to an interview with Rodney Fox. Got nailed by a GW and survived. First guy to make a shark cage, big promoter of shark conservation. He helped out with some filming of Jaws. He said that if he knew about the negative impact it had on the perception of sharks, he would have never helped.

Bull and tiger sharks attack more people...bulls go into freshwater too....

 

[ozyclint]

Never understood why you would go to the beach, swim around looking like a seal, then bitch about sharks.

Would you walk around in the woods smothered in peanut butter?

 

[Kootenay Hunter]

Would you walk around in the woods smothered in peanut butter?

No, I prefer elk blood.

 

[steelhauler34]

Hey it's something other than the political version of "As the world turns" in the news I am all for it.

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