Jaws Sidebar (due by Dec. 5)

Shark attacks unlikely in N.H. after tragedy in New England coastal town

By Cady Kolnaski

DURHAM – When N.H. native Marissa Correll drives to Hampton Beach for her morning swim, the fear of sharks never crosses her mind.

“In the summer I swim in the ocean for about 30 minutes every morning. I’m usually the only one in the water and at the beach that early, but I’ve never seen a shark or worried about seeing one,” Correll explained.

Correll is like many other seacoast residents with regards to sharks, and there might be reason for that.

Even in the wake of the tragedy in the seacoast town of Amity Village, where two individuals were mauled and killed by a vicious, unprovoked great white shark, N.H. residents should not fear swimming in local waters.

According to Doug Grout, the N.H. Fish and Game Marine Fisheries Division Chief, “it is highly unlikely there will be any shark attacks in N.H. in summers to come.”

Grout, who has worked in marine biology for over 30 years, explained that the sharks that can be dangerous to humans “simply don’t come this far north.”

In fact, there have been no reported sightings or attacks in N.H. history, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology website.

Before this summer, the last fatal shark attack reported in all of New England was in 1936 in Mass., thus showing how rare attacks are.

Grout added that there are sharks further off-shore, but they aren’t the types of sharks that harm humans and they never come close to shore.

“The water close to shore is oftentimes colder because of prevailing winds,” he said, adding that “that keeps the sharks away.”

Even after the tragic deaths due to shark attacks in Amity this summer, it is safe to say that N.H. residents need not worry about sharks this summer or in future summers.

Sources:

(603) 868-1095 NH Fish and Game

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/statistics/GAttack/mapusa.htm