Document Type
Comment
Abstract
With shark encounters on the rise along the New England coast, state officials have the perfect opportunity to implement the United States’ first large-scale shark management program similar to that enacted in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Management programs are comprised of control measures that prevent sharks from swimming too close to beachgoers, and thus reduce the number of human-shark interactions. Sharks have long been portrayed by the media as man-eating monsters, and this negative image is deeply intertwined with lethal control measures taken by local governments in response to shark bites. However, such lethal action can cause a decrease in shark populations which can be detrimental to the delicate ocean ecosystem. This comment seeks to utilize available scientific research to recommend a viable shark control program to be implemented via state legislation. This comment culminates in the recommendation that New England states should establish a shark council comprised of various stakeholders with two central goals: (1) to research and implement the SharkSafe Barrierä, an electromagnetic deterrence mechanism, on public beaches; and (2) enact a public education campaign focused on the conservation of sharks in the hopes of changing the public narrative surrounding sharks.
First Page
233
Recommended Citation
Grayson P. Szczepaniak,
Protecting Beaches from Bites: Shark Management Programs in New England,
27
Ocean & Coastal L.J.
233
(2022).
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.mainelaw.maine.edu/oclj/vol27/iss1/8
