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Barcelo Stephen for News A dorsal fin breaks the surface near a Suffolk County beach Wednesday. |
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Wednesday, June 1st 2011, 8:18 PM
Two 18-foot sharks shut down a Long Island beach Wednesday after they were spotted lurking in waters just off the coast, officials said.
A seal carcass also washed up near the East End beach, but it was unclear if it had been killed by the sharks, officials said.
Cloudy skies made it difficult to confirm the exact species of the large predators, but authorities closed the West Hamptons Dunes beach after they saw the dorsal fins poking from the ocean surface.
"My bet is that they're sharks," said West Hampton Dunes Mayor Gary Vegliante. "My hope is that they're basking [not predatory] sharks."
Reports of the sharks started Tuesday afternoon, just a day after the Memorial Day holiday, officials said.
Vegliante said that the ban will be lifted once the species of the sharks are confirmed or when they swim away, which could take a few more days.
"Once we're sure that it's safe, we'll lift the ban," Vegliante said.
The dead seal was removed from the sand where it washed ashore, and a necropsy will be performed to determine the cause of death, Vegliante said.
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/06/01/2011-06-01_shark_dorsal_fins_from_two_18footers_sighted_near_long_island_beach.html
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