New York State has significantly expanded its shark surveillance program heading into Fourth of July weekend, certifying drone operators and deploying aircraft to scan Long Island beaches for sharks and bait fish, according to ForumDaily, which cited reporting from DailyMail.
As of late June, 47 certified drone operators were working across Long Island state parks, including lifeguards, police officers, and park staff. Twenty more are expected to complete certification by the July 4th holiday, bringing the total to 67 operators. The state also added 16 new aircraft to its fleet, for a total of 46 drones in operation during peak beach season.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) issued updated safety guidance with the expansion, warning that 13 shark species make an annual migration into the region’s coastal waters, typically from June through September as ocean temperatures rise. Sightings historically cluster around the Independence Day period, when sharks and their prey – including menhaden, a small forage fish – move closer to shore.
“As summer approaches, New York State is preparing to safely welcome millions of visitors to Long Island State Park beaches,” Governor Kathy Hochul said in May, according to ForumDaily. “We continue to enhance our surveillance capabilities to detect hazardous conditions and help protect beachgoers.”
Actual bites remain rare. New York recorded just one confirmed unprovoked shark attack in all of 2025: on June 27 of last year, a 20-year-old woman suffered non-life-threatening leg cuts after a young sand tiger shark bit her at Jones Beach State Park. The incident was a significant drop from the elevated shark activity the state saw in 2022 and 2023. Nationally, there were 28 shark attacks across the U.S. in 2025, with 15 of them occurring in Florida, according to ForumDaily.
“In our region, instances of human contact with sharks are rare, but DEC encourages beachgoers and water sports enthusiasts to follow safety recommendations. This will reduce risk and help keep New Yorkers safe this summer,” Martin Gary, director of DEC’s marine resources division, said according to ForumDaily.
The DEC’s published guidelines advise swimmers to avoid areas where seals, large schools of fish, or diving seabirds are present; to stay out of murky water; to avoid swimming at dawn, dusk, or at night; to surf and paddleboard in groups rather than alone; to stay close to shore; and to follow instructions from lifeguards and park staff at all times.
In May, a white shark measuring roughly 9 feet was spotted off the south shore of Long Island, according to ForumDaily. The sighting came before the seasonal increase.
Frank Quevedo, ecologist and executive director of the South Fork Natural History Museum, said predicting the season is impossible. “It’s impossible to predict what will happen this season,” Quevedo said, according to ForumDaily. “That’s what makes scientific research so interesting and exciting – there are still so many questions we don’t have answers to.”
Featured image: Bushwick Daily image
