It's The 40th Anniversary Of Jaws

It was 40 years ago that the movie Jaws was released.  It affected everyone who saw it, many vowing to never go in the ocean again.  Here we are with shark attacks reported on almost a weekly basis.  In North Carolina, there have been seven attacks in the last three weeks.  Last year  the same area had four attacks throughout the entire year.  So, why are so many shark attacks happening this summer?

Some experts say it's the perfect storm.  Warmer weather, higher salinity in the ocean, a bloom of bait fish, fishing near swimmers, global warming.  The most likely explanation is the ever increasing amount of time spent in the sea by humans, which increases the opportunities for interaction between man and shark.  Finally, there are more people on the planet, more swimmers in the ocean, thus more likelihood of their interaction.

>p>Sharks do not typically attack or eat humans.  They are looking for fish, and in the process man might just get in the way.  Sharks follow schools of fish bait, which often swim near fishing piers.  A tip from science experts is to get out of the water if you see schools of small fish.  That could mean a shark is near.  Sharks like warm water, and the water is unusually warm this summer, thus attracting them to the North Carolina beaches.  The ocean's high salt content this year, higher than normal, also attracts sharks.  Even with all the shark attacks in the last few weeks, swimmers are still flocking to the beaches in droves.  One hotelier at a beach resort in North Carolina said she had had NO cancellations due to sharks.  I guess many of the beachgoers never saw Jaws.  If they did, I think they'd stay out of the water, at least for a while.  That was one scary movie.