Shark Week advisory as warming seas push blacktips farther north along East Coast

For more than a decade, researchers have tracked blacktip sharks along the East Coast using aerial surveys and satellite tags. Their data shows the sharks travel north each spring, with many reaching as far as Long Island, New York, by late summer, the outlet reported.

As waters continue to warm, researchers expect the sharks to push even farther north while spending less time in South Florida during the winter.

"Our room temperature is 72 or so. [That's] the perfect temperature for these blacktip sharks," Kajiura said.

Researchers are already seeing evidence of that shift, with blacktip sharks occurring farther north, including off Long Island, where beachgoers historically encountered the species less frequently, Kajiura noted.

As blacktip sharks swim close to shore, they are among the species beachgoers are most likely to see.

The study, published in the Journal of Coastal Research, found the sharks consistently stay within about 50 meters of the shoreline.

"What's striking is how closely the distribution of blacktip sharks overlaps with areas impacted by turbidity events," Kajiura said in a Florida Atlantic University news release.

"The chances of you having a negative encounter with a shark are so minuscule," Kajiura said. "Don't let that diminish your ability to take advantage of the beautiful beaches we have here in Florida."