Some Long Island lifeguards are now on “shark patrol” following a Memorial Day sighting.
Officials launched a Hempstead Town Shark Patrol on Friday, featuring lifeguards on jet skis that ride through the town’s south shore beaches to help bay constables keep an eye out for the dangerous fish, according to WABC-TV.
The fin finder program was announced after a fisherman spotted a 10 foot mako shark near Point Lookout on Long Beach Barrier Island Monday, according to the report.
“Our teams of lifeguards … will be in the stands looking at the swimmers as well as looking at the water for any sort of breaks or any sort of fins,” Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin said Friday.
“We actually are investing in a crew that will now hit the waters, go on the shoreline, up and down this area of the coast and see if they can spot any sharks in the region.”
Shark sightings have been on the rise on Long Island recently, with more seen in the last two years than the previous decade.
Last summer, Nassau County officials flew a purple flag with a white shark insignia for 24 hours after any were seen, and several beaches were closed due to shark activity.
Scientists have attributed the spike in shark activity to warmer waters, which attract different species of fish to the region.
Sharks are most commonly seen in New York waters in July and August as they migrate north and feed close to the shore, according to marine life experts.