north as new jersey or southern new york, they also can go in fresh water, and i don t think of anything more terrifying being in a fresh water lagoon or river ecosystem or remote lake or tributary that s fresh water, and then connecting with one of these predator sharks. but again, the good news, it s incredibly rare. but increased prey, healthier ecosystems, ryan, it means more sharks. just to be clear, this is a good thing, right? it seems like whenever we have you on to talk about conservation, it s usually bad news. but this must be a good thing that we re seeing this increase in both the shark population and on the type of animals that they prey upon? well, i don t know how much of a good thing if you re on the buffet or halfway inside a shark, that s probably pretty terrifying. the good news is that s incredibly rare. the good news about an increase in shark populations is because they re big, complex creatures they require a healthy ecosystem. they re what we call an apex
Marine heat wave due to climate change has reportedly shifted the food chain closer into the shore, resulting in increased shark sightings and shark population
five unprovoked attacks in the last two weeks. a fire island lifeguard who was bitten on the foot. this arizona tourist suffered shark bites while standing in waist deep water. shawn donnelly said. it hit me, his body this is a shark. reporter: shark attacks across the country are up. in 2021 there were 47 confirmed cases up 42% from the year before. but the risk of actually being killed by a shark is 1 in 3,748,000 067. one of the things i ve noticed in some of these recent encounters is they have not been fairly. it is very common that a shark attack is not fatal. the reason for this they are not trying to eat us. reporter: not by accident. he points to successful conservation efforts that have increased the shark population.
so for example in california, southern california beaches are important nursery for white sharks. most that use their beaches believe it or not for protection. it s a safe place for them. the water is warmer so they can grow faster. and there s a lot of abundant food. and the number one thing we find they eat our stingrays. hundreds of thousands of stingrays. in fact stingrays injure more people in california waters than any other marine life. rich: quote you say the reason the population is increasing? the reasons why we think the shark population is increasing as number one they were overfished in the united states for many, many years. it is protection so went in place in the 90s that have allowed many populations to come back. which is actually a really positive sign of the health of our ocean. the other thing is sharks and food have come back but it was not just protecting shirts that have enabled their population to recover. it is been the recovery of their
i think a more importantly people shouldst keep doing what they are doing. in fact the data suggest your probability being bitten is actually really low. even with increasing shark population. the bottom line is, people have to be aware the fact that sharks are out there for their probably out there all of the time. they should listen to it lifeguards. it is their job to pay attention to those things. they should also pay attention to other wildlife. so if you are out in the water and a seal tries to get on your surfboard, that s probably a good indication there s her predator around. in addition if you see a shark that may not be a bad thing. it might be one of the coolest things you get to experience in your life. and we know based on good and growing scientific data that sharks and people are together all the time in the water and they are not being bitten. rich: ready sharks tend to gather? where do we find the most commonly in the ocean? books that depends on species.