Those in the ocean research community can't seem to agree upon this question.
MONMOUTH BEACH -- Are those sharks or rays swimming along the shore in Monmouth Beach and Belmar?
The answer to that question can't seem to be agreed upon among those in the ocean research community.
Police received a call Tuesday when residents spotted dorsal fins less than 10 feet from shore in Monmouth Beach. An officer on scene took a video of what has been reported as a group of six sharks, each about three- or four-feet long.
Erich Ritter, research associate at the University of West Florida, said the video appears to show sharks feeding.
"The video shows a bunch of small(er) sharks, likely of the genus Carcharhinus," such as blacktips, spinners or silkies, Ritter said via email. "The way it looks to me is that they were feeding... normally they all stay in a bit deeper waters outside the breakers, but if something luring is around (like bait) they dare to come closer."
Marie Levine, director of the Shark Research Institute in Princeton, agreed with Ritter, telling app.com that the school was likely young sharks exploring their environment.
However, Gregory Skomal, senior marine fisheries scientist at the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries, and John Chisholm, also a scientist at the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries, said the video appears to be of a school of rays.
The day after the sighting, another sighting was reported in Belmar. Photos posted to Facebook appear to show two shark fins poking through the surface of the ocean there.
Though Ritter thinks these were also sharks, Belmar Mayor Matthew Doherty said the fins are from a bullnose ray.
Deadly shark attacks terrorized New Jersey in 1916. Could it happen again?
Regardless, Ritter said what he believes are sharks are nothing to worry about.
"One could approach them (and if lucky, they would not swim off)," Ritter, a shark enthusiast, said in an email. "Unfortunately, fins means danger for most people."
The chance of being attacked by a shark in New Jersey is much smaller than in a handful of other states, national statics show.
Since 1837, there have only been 15 reported shark attacks in New Jersey, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History, though Levine -- citing sharkattackdata.com -- said there have been 23. Either figure is much lower than Florida's 748, followed by 143 in Hawaii and 116 in California, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History's data.
The last time someone died from a shark attack in the Garden State was in 1926, NJ Advance Media reported last July, and the last confirmed shark attack was in 2005.
Luke Nozicka may be reached at lnozicka@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @lukenozicka.
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