https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/17/us/cape-cod-shark-attack.html
Arthur Medici, 26, was pronounced dead at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis after a fatal shark attack. This attack occurred on September 15th at Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet. It is speculated that Medici was attacked by a great white shark. The population of seals in Cape Cod has increased, and as a result, so has the population of its predator: the great white shark. This has not been the only recent shark attack. Another man was attacked by a shark a month ago at a Cape Cod beach but was able to survive. Following the incident, beaches in Wellfleet were closed for swimming. Marine animals and sharks are protected by federal law.
There has been a rise in shark attacks globally. People are blaming climate change (leading to warmer waters) for an abundance of people and sharks in the water. This increases the odds of encountering one another.
1. Do you think the number of shark attacks will continue to rise?
2. What do you think is causing a larger number of shark attacks globally? Climate change, overpopulation of both humans and sharks, etc.
3. Should marine animals be protected by federal law? Are they well protected under this law?
The large number of shark attacks could be due to pollution or changing conditions leading sharks and other marine life to previously less populated areas in search of food or other resources. Wild marine life should be protected and kept separate from the general public for the safety of the ecosystem and humans. The average person should make small changes to lessen their damaging environmental impact. Things like making an effort to recycle or reduce waste could greatly assist in protecting marine life ecosystems and preventing irregularities such as this.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that the number of shark attacks may rise because of the impact of warm waters. Climate change is a huge factor in this situation and we need to find a solution for the safety of not just humans, but the marine life. What we do to better the environment for all is highly important. Like what Rojean said, we need to recycle and reduce waste level as a start to a bigger movement.
ReplyDeleteLike other endangered animals, I believe that marine animals should be protected by federal law because they are entitled to protection especially since humans hurt the environment, their natural habitat, so much. However, people should still be protected first, so, that may mean actions like limiting access to Cape Cod beach or increasing the amount of lifeguards and/or security boats must be taken in order to ensure human safety. Nonetheless, so long as humans know their boundaries in the ocean waters, they will remain safe and marine animals can be protected. Although shark population may be increasing in certain areas due to climate change or the migration of seals to different areas, I do not think that shark attacks will increase or continue to rise on purpose. Shark attacks are not done because the shark actively seeks a human to attack. Therefore, like mentioned before, if humans know their boundaries in ocean waters, shark attacks should not increase leading to the assurance of safety for people and the ability for the law to protect marine animals.
ReplyDeleteI do think that it is possible that shark attacks could rise in the future, but I think humans can prevent it as it has to do with the climate change because of humans. The amount of shark attacks rising could also be due to human population increasing, and more people are swimming, diving and surfing. The shark numbers are still decreasing so I do think they should still be protected by federal law. They are still suffering a decline due to the hunt for their fins and overfishing.
ReplyDeleteI believe the amount of shark attacks will continue in areas most affected by climate change. Therefore, the protection of humans should come first, and beaches with high probability of sharks should prohibit swimming in those areas. New advances in Marine Biology should keep people informed on where it is safe to swim, and where there may be danger. The marine animals also have the right to be protected under the law and shouldn't be harmed in any way, shape or form in the process of making swimming in the ocean safer for people.
ReplyDeleteIf climate change suggests warmer temperatures which in turn lead towards greater sentiments of attending the beach which increases the mean amount of time that people spend in the ocean which increases the probability of a shark attack then climate change can be blamed. I think the number of shark attacks will start to decline because people will get wind of this event and be scared to go swimming in the wild therefore the sharks will have less opportunities. I think the primary concern should be safety for humans, not safety for animals. If animals are affecting the freedoms of humans at the beach then they should not be protected by the law.
ReplyDeleteI think it is hard to answer whether there will be an increase in shark attacks because there are many factors to the issue surrounding attacks. I believe that the issue of increase in global shark attacks has to do with the population of the world, climate change, and fishing. For population there could be an increase in the use of beaches. For climate change, the warmer waters could be changing where sharks are choosing to reside territorially and for fishing I believe that it also has played a part in where sharks are moving territorially, moving into more shallow water. I believe endangered marine animals should be protected by the federal law because I believe that it is part of human morality to preserve the world and its animals for the next generation, but it is also extremely hard for the federal law to protect these animals because they reside in the ocean, unlike elephants who can be protected by armed guards who can monitor their area for 24 hours.
ReplyDeleteI think that the sharks should be protected and just because people are being attacked doesn't mean that we should get rid of the sharks. The people who go to swim should know if there are sharks or not in the water and if they die because they went in waters where they knew that there were sharks it is not an issue. With this increasing problem, there should be advisories about whether or not there are sharks in waters where people could go swimming.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Stefan that the sharks should be protected. The rise of climate change is because of humans and it is not the fault of the sharks that they need to move to a different climate. I think that there will be a rise in sharks at beaches and then therefore more shark attacks. But I think instead of hurting the sharks we as humans can recognize this and be aware of what is happening by putting signs on those beaches. We should not try to exterminate the sharks for the mistakes we have made to the earth
ReplyDeleteI believe that climate change can be blamed for the rising amount of people in the oceans and rising amount of sharks in the ocean,if warmer water temperatures are what attracts both people and sharks to reside in parts of the ocean more. However, I believe that the amount of shark attacks like these will decrease as time goes on, because more people will learn of the attacks and avoid the waters more, thus less chances for shark attacks to occur.
ReplyDeleteThere is evidence that shows that marine life is migrating to the poles, most likely because of climate change. Because of the animals changing their habitat and their confusion about their new environment, this may cause them to be aggressive and accidentally attack a human. Marine life should be protected, but like Hannah said, it is hard to protect it because it is in water. People know there are sharks in the water and they go in at their own risk. Marine biologists should designate beaches that are safer to swim in. I think the amount of shark attacks will stay constant because people are now hearing more and more about deadly shark attacks and are becoming more cautious as the amount of sharks increase in the waters.
ReplyDeleteI do think that the number of shark attacks will not rise with the summer season coming to an end, and that will lead to less people visiting the beaches often. However, with the shark population increasing I think that there would be more attacks than previous years. Overpopulation is a factor that could be contributing to the increase of shark attacks, as more and more people tend to venture towards the shark territory, and climate change also is a big factor. I believe that marine animals should be protected by the federal law because the world has be so industrialized it leaves limited room for natural habitats for animals.
ReplyDelete1. The number of shark attacks will probably rise as sharks change their migratory patterns because of climate change.
ReplyDelete2. I think that sharks are moving to places where they usually don't go because of climate change, and since people don't expect them, they get bitten more often
3. Marine animals should be protected by federal law because sea-life is a national resource, rather than one that is exclusive to a particular state. I think those protections should be extended for posterity
I think the rise in shark attacks is related to climate change, as the animals have had to change their habitats and may be more aggressive when in the proximity of people. I think the overpopulation of the sharks is also a factor. Marine life should be protected, but will most likely be difficult because it’s in international waters. I think the number of shark attacks will remain level as people will probably become more cautious of them.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the amount of sharks attack most likely will not rise. As stated before, I agree that this problem is most likely related to climate change affecting the waters and therefore affecting humans. With this I think it is important to protect the sharks under federal law. In order to prevent these attacks from continually happening, we the people need to be cautious when swimming in these waters, but also improve our environment to help decrease these attacks.
ReplyDeleteThe rate of shark attacks will increase due to the consistently increasing global temperature. Sharks are forced to live in warmer climates and the increased attacks may be linked to the sharks' attempt to maintain homeostasis. Marine animals should be protected by federal law because the law can help decrease global warming and protect biodiversity concurrently.
ReplyDeleteWarm water = increase in shark population. As climate change begins to shift the temperatures in the ocean all over the world, we may begin to see more and more sharks. Of course, shark attacks are still very uncommon and probably will not be seen as a biggest issue, we as people must understand that our world is changing and must adapt to what are new circumstances are.
ReplyDeleteI believe the rate of shark attacks will increase because of the effect global warming has on temperature. The higher the temperature, the warmer the water. Sharks live in warmer waters, therefore they are forced to the top. I think that lifeguards and park police should be more cautious and check the waters before hand. I also believe that protecting marine animals with federal law won't be 100% efficient. There is a black market for marine life, including sharks, which would only increase.
ReplyDeleteThe number of shark attacks will continue to if it is truly due to the ocean warm because of global warming. I believe human are at fault for when ever attacks like this happen. It is in the sharks instinct to eat food and survive and it needs the ocean to do so, so when you introduce humans into an area they populate (they are even their because of climate change which we caused) we can only expect there to be some shark attacks
ReplyDeleteI don't think we can establish a causation relationship between global warming and shark attacks. Sharks usually migrate to areas where they can find a steady source of food. So if there is a noticeable abundance of sharks in a certain area, people could maybe close it down for a while, and the sharks would be forced to move elsewhere to survive. Also, not all sharks prefer the warmer waters like the great white shark.
ReplyDeleteAll of these shark attacks will keep on continuing to rise if the Trump Administration and the US Government keep ignoring the fact that this is not a rising problem. The evidence is clear. As the waters grow warmer due to global warming, the sharks will start to migrate to very populated places and attacks will occur. Now, sharks do not attack humans. They mistake them for seals which is why these attacks usually occur. This issue keeps on growing and growing and their needs to be a change if we want these shark attacks to stop. This climate change is affecting the behavior and migration of sharks which is why these deaths are occurring at a more rapid rate.
ReplyDeleteI think that the number of shark attacks will continue to rise especially since there seems to be incidents which have occurred very close to each other. Additionally, I think that marine animals should be protected by federal law because without this protection, marine animals can be hunted or poached which can lead to endangering of the species and may result in extinction. Warmer waters can possibly lead to the abundance of sharks since the water is warmer closer to the shore and as a result sharks will begin to live primarily closer to the shore, which is where humans spend most of their time on beaches and such.
ReplyDeleteWith water temperatures increasing worldwide, there are going to be fewer limits on where sharks can thrive. As shark populations increase, there are bound to be more shark attacks on humans. I do believe, however, that it is possible for sharks and humans to peacefully coexist, even under the new circumstances that climate change has brought along. Shark populations are greater in specific areas which means that an abundance of caution needs to be exercised in those areas. If there are too many seals near a particular beach, either the population of seals needs to be moved or controlled or people should be warned against swimming in those beaches.
ReplyDeleteEmma Madgic ^
DeleteThe number of shark attacks will probably continue to rise as the issue of global warming becomes more severe, especially if we fail to do anything to prevent further climate change. However, even though the number of shark attacks are rising, marine animals should continue to be protected under federal law. If marine animals aren't protected, the human population would probably find more ways to exploit the marine animals to use for profit, leading to more endangered species and even extinction. It is not the shark’s fault for the increasing attacks of humans; therefore, they shouldn’t be punished by overfishing which will likely happen without any federal laws protecting marine animals.
ReplyDeleteSimilar to Daniel, I'm not sure if the rising population of sharks is 100% a result of global warming. While I think global warming is a huge issue and needs a lot more attention than what it is being given at the moment, it usually isn't attributed to the ability to create more ocean-life (it usually destroys it). I think that shark population is actually decreasing at the moment due to the vast amounts of ocean pollution and hunting of sharks for their fins. The rise of shark attacks are probably a result of humans not paying attention, and should not be attributed to climate change.
ReplyDelete