An unusual marine spectacle has darkened parts of New York’s coastal waters, as vast numbers of sharks, rays and baitfish packed the ocean just beyond the shoreline.
Drone video captured in late August off Smith Point Beach in Shirley showed what appeared to be dense, shadowy schools of Atlantic menhaden — small, silvery forage fish — encircled by thousands of migrating cownose rays and sharks near Fire Island.
Longtime Long Island photographer Mike Busch, who has spent years documenting the region’s coastline from above, said the scale of the shark activity stood out as unlike anything he had seen before.
‘The difference this year is the number of sharks is something I have never seen before, with literally thousands spread out along the shores of Fire Island and Eastern Long Island,’ Busch told the Daily Mail.
While Busch was filming, the marine animals stayed roughly 1,000 feet from shore. Still, he said he worried that a shift in wind conditions could have driven the baitfish — and the predators following them — much closer to popular swimming areas.
Busch believes most of the predators are migrating spinner sharks, which occasionally leap clear of the water while attacking baitfish, although hammerhead and bull sharks have also reportedly been seen.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC) told the Daily Mail that such an enormous gathering was ‘not a common sight,’ but warmer water makes it more likely toward the end of summer.
State experts believe the sharks were primarily pursuing the vast schools of menhaden rather than hunting the rays, although the exact species cannot be confirmed from the aerial images.
A rare gathering of marine life recently turned stretches of New York’s coastal waters black as an extraordinary number of sharks, rays and baitfish crowd the ocean just offshore
Sharks were also spotted by the drone, which officials believe were feeding on the mass gathering of fish
Drone footage filmed late August off Smith Point Beach in Shirley appeared to show dark masses of Atlantic menhaden, silvery forage fish, surrounded by thousands of migrating cownose rays and sharks near Fire Island
Busch said marine activity around Long Island had initially been unusually quiet because Atlantic menhaden, also known locally as bunker, were slow to arrive.
‘Things started slow this year due [to] a lack of a baitfish called menhaden or bunker,’ he said.
‘They finally showed up along with thousands of migrating cownose rays and sharks that feed on them over the last week.
‘These fish show up very close to the beach, bringing the sharks with them.’
Menhaden travel in enormous schools close to the ocean’s surface during the spring, summer and fall. When viewed from above, the tightly packed fish can resemble enormous black stains spreading through the water.
The small, oily fish are a crucial food source for sharks, whales, dolphins, predatory fish and seabirds, meaning their arrival can transform a quiet stretch of ocean into a major feeding ground.
‘Some shark species do prey on rays, but it’s likely that the sharks are drawn to the large school of Atlantic menhaden,’ an NYSDEC spokesperson told the Daily Mail.
Cownose rays are primarily bottom feeders that search for clams, oysters, mussels and other shellfish rather than pursuing menhaden near the surface.
Drone footage filmed in late August off Smith Point Beach in Shirley appeared to show dark masses of Atlantic menhaden, silvery forage fish, surrounded by thousands of migrating cownose rays and sharks near Fire Island
Stunning cownose rays were spotted among the sharks and fish
A cownose ray is a migratory, kite-shaped marine fish known for its distinctive two-lobed snout that resembles the nose of a cow
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC) told the Daily Mail that such an enormous gathering was ‘not a common sight,’ but warmer water makes it more likely toward the end of summer
State experts believe the sharks were primarily pursuing the vast schools of menhaden rather than hunting the rays, although the exact species cannot be confirmed from the aerial images
Although the rays and sharks appear to be part of the same frenzy from the air, officials said they may have converged under the same favorable conditions while searching for different food.
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Busch said there had been concerns about ‘massive over-harvesting from commercial factory ships out of Virginia,’ which he suggested may have contributed to the baitfish’s late appearance.
However, the NYSDEC did not attribute the delay to commercial fishing, and the latest official assessment found that the overall Atlantic menhaden population was neither overfished nor experiencing overfishing.
The photographer believes the sharks were spinner sharks, which a fast, slender, medium-sized predators known for their unique hunting habit of leaping out of the water and spinning in the air
State officials said the sharks were likely not feeding on the rays, but the thousands of small fish in the area
The thousands of small fish appeared to turn parts of the water black
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission nevertheless reduced the coastwide menhaden catch limit by 20 percent for 2026 after adopting updated targets intended to leave sufficient prey for striped bass and other predators.
Officials said numerous environmental forces could have affected when the fish, rays and sharks arrived off New York.
‘Marine ecosystems are incredibly complex,’ the NYSDEC spokesperson said.
‘Changes in water temperature, ocean currents, primary productivity, prey species distributions, as well as changes in fishing mortality of both prey species and sharks, all impact when and where these species can be observed in New York waters.’
Numerous sharks were seen swiming among the rays and fish
The mass gathering was spotted about 1,000 feet from the coast of Fire Island in late August
Although the rays and sharks appear to be part of the same frenzy from the air, officials said they may have converged under the same favorable conditions while searching for different food
Primary productivity largely refers to algae and other microscopic organisms at the bottom of the food chain. Changes in that food supply can move smaller fish into different areas, drawing larger predators behind them.
Identifying those predators presents another challenge.
‘Using drone imagery to identify marine species has its challenges,’ the NYSDEC spokesperson said. ‘Water clarity and depth of the animal make it difficult to make accurate identifications.’
Busch said the sharks were ‘most likely migrating spinner sharks,’ but that assessment has not been independently confirmed.
Spinner sharks prey on schools of small baitfish, including Atlantic menhaden, and are known to burst from the water while spinning through the air. According to the NYSDEC, the species can leap as high as 20 feet while feeding.
The drone footage capture marine life jumping out of the water and sharks narrowing in on their prey
Despite the ominous sight, officials said the enormous concentration of predators does not necessarily signal that something is wrong with the ocean.
Sharks are keystone species that help regulate marine ecosystems by removing sick and weakened animals, controlling prey populations and limiting the spread of disease.
‘Shark presence is generally considered an indicator of a healthy ocean ecosystem,’ the spokesperson said.
However, beachgoers are still advised to exercise caution when predators and large baitfish schools approach the coastline.
The NYSDEC advises swimmers to avoid areas containing schools of fish, splashing baitfish or diving seabirds and to stay out of murky water.
People should also avoid swimming around dawn, dusk or at night and follow all instructions issued by lifeguards and park officials.