Tens of thousands of sharks seen migrating off Palm Beach, Florida

Daily Mail, UK
Sun, 14 Feb 2016 21:18 UTC

This picture shows a swarm of sharks migrating a short distance from the coast in Palm Beach, Florida

With temperatures plummeting below freezing in parts of the country, you may be temped to escape to some winter sun in Florida.

But if you do hit the sunny beaches, you may want to avoid going for a swim.

That's because tens of thousands of sharks are migrating in huge swarms, and it's happening just off the coast.

Florida Atlantic University biological sciences professor Stephen Kajiura took video from the air of blacktip sharks invading the waters of Palm Beach, on Florida's Atlantic coast

He has been monitoring their movement since January 15. But he decided to get footage from 5,000ft in the air.

Kajiura told WPEC: 'There are literally tens of thousands of sharks a stone's throw away from our shoreline.

'You could throw a pebble and literally strike a shark. They are that close

Florida Atlantic University biological sciences professor Stephen Kajiura took video of blacktip sharks invading the waters of Palm Beach, on Florida's Atlantic coast. A paddle boarder is seen on the bottom left of the screen near the hoard of sharks

Blacktips are the most common species in that part of Florida and are behind the majority of shark bites.

However, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there hasn't been a fatal attack yet.

They are named by the black markings on the tips of their fins and are common in the warm Atlantic waters between South Carolina and Texas.

Every winter, during their mating season, they move to find warmer parts of the ocean.

They feed on fish, stingrays and squids.

Blacktips have also been known to follow fishing boats and feed on culled catches.

Comment: Unusual migratory patterns and deaths of sea creatures around the world seems to be increasing:

• North Sea sperm whale death toll increases to 23 as another 8 are washed up on German coast
• 300 turtles and a bottlenose dolphin found dead on beach in India
• Tens of thousands of dead jellyfish and starfish found on beaches of West Sussex and Hampshire, UK
• Rare deep sea ragfish found dead on coast of Gustavus, Alaska: 4th for the state in 3 years
• Wrong time, wrong place: Rare Arctic Beluga whale seen off the Irish coast

As the number of volcanoes erupting right now is greater than the 20th century's YEARLY average, a comparable escalation in activity of their underwater counterparts seems logical.

It is estimated there are up to one million submarine volcanoes on our planet. Effects from this volcanic activity, combined with increased methane outgassing, radiation from the Fukushima disaster are probably also causing the ongoing devastation of marine life, mass fish die offs and strange migratory behaviour we are currently witnessing.

See also: Around 500 manatees crowd into a Florida spring to stay warm