SCIENTISTS have given insight into the recent surge in shark attacks across the US.
They pointed towards a growing shark population as well as improved conversation as possible reasons for the spike.
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On Monday, A woman, 65 was swimming in Queens, New York when she was suddenly attacked by a shark.
She suffered a bite to her left thigh but is expected to make a full recovery.
According to Gavin Naylor, director of the International Shark Attack File, it may have been a great white that mauled her.
The woman was standing in the water when she felt an intense pain that made her fall backward into the ocean.
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Her wounds were so deep the woman almost bled to death.
According to Vox, conservationists believe that the reason sharks are returning to New York has to do with improved water quality and bait fish, like bunker fish and bluefish are flocking to the area.
New York has made a great effort to improve their rivers, introducing the amount of dirty water that is entering the seas.
“Sharks are a sign of a healthy ecosystem,” said Chris Paparo, a shark expert at Stony Brook University in Long Island.
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“I look at that as a sign of successful conservation."
Because of this great effort, the shark population has grown substantially.
“Are there more sharks now than there were five or 10 years ago? Absolutely,” said Tobey Curtis, a fishery management specialist at NOAA Fisheries, a government organization that oversees fishing in the US.
“We’ve been managing and conserving shark populations since 1993.”
On the Fourth of July, five people were reported to have been attacked by sharks.
The previous year eight people had dangerous encounters with a shark, which is not common at all in the state.
According to The New York Times, Monday's attack was incredibly rare, with the last shark attack in New York City occurring in the 1950s.
The state has, however, seen a large number of attacks in the last few years.
Monday's victim was later said to be in a stable condition.
Her family said in a statement: "Our mother is grateful to be alive after today's events, and we're all thankful to the lifeguards, emergency response workers, and team at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center."
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"We are deeply moved by the outpouring of support we have received, but for now we ask above all for everyone to respect our privacy as we focus all of our energies on helping her to recover."
