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North Fork fisherman John Skinner caught a six-foot shark near the Horton Point in Southold on Saturday, Aug. 24 before immediately releasing the shark after reeling it in, letting it swim off back to safety.
Shark sightings have become commonplace on Long Island this summer, including fisherman who took down a 500-pound shark, and other Great White shark sightings as they headed north as the weather warmed up. A second 500-pound shark was spotted in the Long Island Sound before heading out toward the Hamptons.
According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, “sharks are apex predators at the top of the food chain generally having few natural predators. They have been successfully roaming the seas for over 400 million years.
“As apex predators, sharks play an important role in regulating and maintaining the balance of intricate marine ecosystems. They remove sick and weak individuals from prey populations, and regulate species abundance, distribution, and diversity throughout the marine environment.”
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