Dead shark washed ashore at Robert Moses followed by sightings that temporarily halted swimming

Swimming was temporarily halted Wednesday at Fields 4 and 5 at Robert Moses State Park in Babylon after a large school of bait fish — and sharks — was spotted, only hours after a dead sand tiger shark washed ashore at Field 5, officials said.

A shark, which remained at Field 4 feeding on the bait fish, left the area after 2 p.m., and swimming resumed shortly thereafter for the entire park, said New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Long Island Regional Director George Gorman.

Earlier in the day, a drone operator "saw a large school of bait and bunker fish" in the waters off Field 5 and that "within that school there was the possibility of two sharks," Gorman said. Lifeguards, he said, believe the shark later moved to Field 4.

The sightings followed the discovery of a 6-foot-long dead shark that was found washed ashore earlier Wednesday at Field 5. A marine biologist from the state Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed it was a sand tiger shark.

The National Aquarium said in an overview on sand tiger sharks: "Despite their intimidating appearance, they are not aggressive toward humans unless threatened."

The MarineBio Conservation Society said sand tiger sharks feed on bony fishes, small sharks, rays, squid, crabs and lobsters — but are not viewed as a threat to humans. They are listed as a vulnerable species, facing a "high risk" of extinction in the wild.

Shark sightings and encounters have become more common at Long Island beaches in recent years. New York’s waters went from one shark encounter in 2012 to a record eight shark bites last year off Long Island and five reported bites so far this year, Gov. Kathy Hochul said last month as she announced that the state was providing more drones to Long Island and New York City to help increase shark monitoring

The five reported shark bites occurred in early July in the waters off Robert Moses, Quogue Village Beach, Kismet Beach and Fire Island Pines, officials said. The victims are all recovering from injuries that were not life-threatening.

With Robert Brodsky

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”