Fierce tiger shark attacks on the rise in Hawaii By Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff Jan. 30, 2014 5:00 AM In this photo, taken on May 8, 2006, a shark bites a piece of fish on a line during a shark-seeing tour 3 miles from Haleiwa, a town on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. MAKENA STATE PARK, Hawaii There was a record number of shark attacks on people in the islands of Hawaii last year. So sharks were not far from Colin Dececco s mind as the sun went down on the beach here on a recent Sunday evening. Dececco and his daughter saw a reef shark while swimming round a cove on Makena s Big Beach on the island of Maui that morning. Later that day, they watched a fisherman haul in his catch at the same spot at sunset. Suddenly they heard a splash at the edge of the fisherman s net. It was an 8-foot-long tiger shark, one of the fiercest shark species around. The tiger shark is probably responsible for most of the 14 attacks on Hawaii in 2013. Eight of those happened near Makena. The fisherman let go of his net and took off running down the shore, shouting for swimmers to get out of the water. By then everyone was kind of running, Dececco said in an interview just moments after he and his daughter had run up a rocky cliff for a better view. Tiger sharks you don t play with them, he warned. 1
Tiger Considered A Deadly Shark In a state where tourism is very important, the increase in shark attacks has alarmed visitors and business owners alike. Two people died after attacks in 2013 a German snorkeler and a kayak fisherman from Washington state. Both incidents occurred in the waters near Makena State Park. But there are no permanent signs on the coastline warning people of possible shark attacks. For many years the state has posted notices and closed the beach immediately after a shark attack. The beach then remains shut until noon the next day, until officials on helicopter and jet ski patrols believe that the shark has left the area. For now, they see no need to change that policy. Hawaii s state officials say there is no pattern to the shark attacks. They just come in spikes and lulls. But soon after the German tourist died in August 2013, the state government announced a new two-year, 186, 000studybytheU niversityof Hawaii.T hisresearchwilllookatwhethertigersharksspendmoretimearoundm Shark attacks increased in Hawaii in both 2013 and 2012. In the three years before that there were just three incidents per year. But, so far, the large number of recent attacks does not appear to have affected tourism. More than 2.1 million people visited Maui last year. State tourism officials think visitors to Hawaii realize that shark attacks are still very rare. There is no question, however, that many swimmers and snorkelers are adjusting their routines based on the attacks. There is no pattern to the attacks based on the victim s distance from shore. The kayak fisherman was 900 yards off Makena, while the German snorkeler was 50 yards offshore. But a number of tourists said that they were not swimming out as far because of the sharks. Karen O Brien, a 49-year-old tourist from Toronto, said she only went into the water as deep as her waist. Last year, O Brien snorkeled off the small island of Molokini. But after she read that the kayak fisherman was also attacked near Molokini, she decided that she wasn t interested in snorkeling there any more. Tourists Wary But Not Put Off Hawaii native Lorraine Alesna has long fished at Makena Landing. This is a popular launching spot for kayakers and snorkelers. She shook her head at the tourists who zoomed into the water without paying proper attention. Sharks produce their babies during the winter months and attacks on humans are much more likely. People should also avoid cloudy water that attracts the predators, but not all the tourists do. People that come from the mainland have no respect for anything, neither the ocean nor the land, 2
Alesna said about the visitors. We grew up knowing, by the elders, what we can and cannot do in certain times of the year. Like many longtime residents and fishermen here, Alesna has lots of theories for the rise in shark attacks. She thinks that sharks might be coming closer to the beach to eat green sea turtles. These turtles were in danger of dying out. So, they became protected by law beginning in 1978. The turtle numbers have since recovered a bit in Hawaii. Alesna says it is now time for officials to allow people to start hunting the turtles again. But Carl Meyer said there was no evidence to support the theory that turtles are the reason for the shark activity. Meyer is an ocean scientist and is leading the University of Hawaii study in the attacks. He says that turtles are just one part of the tiger sharks diet. These sharks are known as the garbage cans of the ocean because they will swallow anything they find. License plates, oil cans, tires, and baseballs have all been found in the stomachs of tiger sharks. Many people think that there are more tiger sharks in the water and that they are hungrier than in past years. Meyer doesn t agree with this. Yet the scientist does know that there are definitely more fishermen, surfers and paddle boarders in the ocean than ever before. So his study will look at whether tiger sharks are more common in areas of Maui where those sports are most popular. 3
Quiz 1. Onomatopoeia a word that phonetically imitates or suggests the source of the sound that it describes. Which of the following contains an example of onomatopoeia? (a) They just come in spikes and lulls. (b) Suddenly they heard a splash at the edge of the fisherman s net. (c) State tourism officials think visitors to Hawaii realize that shark attacks are still very rare. (d) There is no question, however, that many swimmers and snorkelers are adjusting their routines based on the attacks. 2. Why did Karen O Brien stop snorkeling? (a) because she is old now (b) because it is the winter season (c) because she was attacked by a shark (d) because of the attack on a kayak fisherman 3. Read the sentence from the article. Like many longtime residents and fishermen here, Alesna has lots of theories for the rise in shark attacks. What is a synonym for the word theories as used in the sentence above? (a) concept (b) method (c) argument (d) assumption 4. Why does Meyer suspect there have been more shark attacks than in years past? (a) There are more sharks in the water than before. (b) There are more people in the water than before. (c) The sharks are hungrier than before. (d) Sharks are adjusting their diets. 4
Answer Key 1. Onomatopoeia a word that phonetically imitates or suggests the source of the sound that it describes. Which of the following contains an example of onomatopoeia? (a) They just come in spikes and lulls. (b) Suddenly they heard a splash at the edge of the fisherman s net. (c) State tourism officials think visitors to Hawaii realize that shark attacks are still very rare. (d) There is no question, however, that many swimmers and snorkelers are adjusting their routines based on the attacks. 2. Why did Karen O Brien stop snorkeling? (a) because she is old now (b) because it is the winter season (c) because she was attacked by a shark (d) because of the attack on a kayak fisherman 3. Read the sentence from the article. Like many longtime residents and fishermen here, Alesna has lots of theories for the rise in shark attacks. What is a synonym for the word theories as used in the sentence above? (a) concept (b) method (c) argument (d) assumption 4. Why does Meyer suspect there have been more shark attacks than in years past? (a) There are more sharks in the water than before. (b) There are more people in the water than before. (c) The sharks are hungrier than before. (d) Sharks are adjusting their diets. 5