Despite NJ Shark Sightings, Expert Says No Worries

A local expert suggests that despite several shark sightings along the South Jersey coastline over the last couple of weeks, there's really nothing to worry about.

KYW's David Madden reports that the most recent sightings came earlier this week off Seaside Heights (see related story) and prompted the brief closure of a local beach as a precaution.

Marc Kind, a biologist at the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ, says there are a few sightings of this type around here every year:

"They're coming a little earlier and it's probably due to our weather pattern.  The warmer air temps and thus the warmer water temps."

But he insists the sharks we see offshore and in the back bays are far more afraid of us than we are of them. So there is really no need to be concerned.

However, the US Coast Guard did put out a recent shark advisory for boaters, and a fisherman off Long Island took a bite to the arm as he was unhooking his catch last week.