Ever since I was little, I have spent my summers in Chatham, Massachusetts, a small fishing town on the “elbow” of Cape Cod. Normally, Chatham is a quiet seaside town with a few bustling weeks in July. But this year things radically changed. We experienced an extreme increase in marine life. You might be thinking well of course you did your surrounded by the water! But, this year some unexpected guests arrived off our shores, some Great White Sharks. Yes, the king of the waters himself decided that he would vacation in Chatham this year.
Now for the year-long residences and summer residences, it wasn't really that big of a deal. But, for the numerous tourists it seemed like the world was ending. Their was wide stricken paranoia, where people would not swim in the water or go to any of the beaches where they spotted. Not only did we have these annoying tourists, but many shark enthusiasts have also invaded Chatham. About 2 miles off the coast, the water is filled with boats varying from small skiffs to the National Geographic boat. People love the attention that Chatham is getting. But because it is bad press, I don’t think that this will help out Chatham in the long run. Having weekly articles describing new sightings forced the Coast Guard to close many of the beaches. Chatham has the most coastline in the United States, but the paranoia quicly made beach options minuscule. Fortunately, there has not been a fatal attack, so why can't we just educate people instead of closing down beaches? Chatham has a great lifeguard staff and since the start of this, they have gone through extensive education on everything sharks. The lifeguards are more than willing to share their new knowledge. So lets be smart about this new invasion, why does my Chatham have to change?
Growing up in California, I understand the shark drama you are talking about. It only takes one incident to make a huge ordeal. This press reminds me of a video that Steven Colbert did a few years ago on the "The Summer of the Shark," or something like that. While it was hilarious, it was proving the point that sharks attract more attention that they probably deserve. If this influx of people ruined your ocean time i am sorry, but in California people always go back to the beaches where sharks have been seen. Here is a link to the video if you are interested. http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-july-15-2002/i-know-what-you-did-last-summer-of-the-shark
ReplyDeletePeople have always been terrified of sharks. I believe "Shark Week" on the discovery channel could have a lot to do with it. Throughout that week, which is the network's most popular week, all the discovery channel shows are full of what type of shark attacked in which area. This scares people, especially landlocked people like me, from going to the beach where shark sightings have been reported. I do agree with you though, this is no reason to shut down the beach. They should have put up boundaries that people cannot swim past of some sort of safety precaution. A great white is a rare occasion though! Usually people have to travel far to see one, sometimes all the way to South Africa. So even though the shark may have shut down the beach, maybe it would have been a good idea to try and see one because you might not get the chance to see such an amazing creature again.
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