US Politics
New AMBER alert-like system would send alerts to people’s phones when a shark is nearby
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Read more
A bipartisan bill to create an AMBER Alert-style shark warning system that alerts beachgoers of nearby predators is one step closer to reality.
The bill, which passed the Senate, known as Lulu’s Law, would allow federal and local authorities to send cellphone alerts to notify beachgoers when a shark attack occurs or when conditions could lead to a heightened risk of incidents.
“If there’s one shark feeding in that area, there could be others as well,” Dr. Greg Skomal with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, told Boston 25 News. “We have seen a series of bites in a very small area in a short period of time in certain parts of the eastern seaboard of the U.S.”
Massachusetts has experienced notable attacks, including a 2018 incident at Longnook Beach in Truro where a 61‑year‑old man survived a great white shark bite, and a fatal attack at Wellfleet’s Newcomb Hollow Beach the following month.
Sightings of great white sharks in the region, particularly near Cape Cod, have increased in recent years. Tracking studies from organizations such as the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy and UMass‑Dartmouth estimate that around 800 individual great whites passed through Cape Cod between 2015 and 2018.
.jpg)
open image in gallery
Lulu’s Law is named after 16‑year‑old Lulu Gribbin from Alabama, who lost a leg and a hand in a shark attack off the Florida Panhandle last year.
Sen. Katie Britt, who introduced the bill, told the Alabama Daily News that she spoke with Gribbin and her family after the bill passed, saying, “It was just incredible. The joy in her voice, the excitement, you know how hard it is to get anything through this chamber, much less right now at such a divisive time, and the fact that we came together in a bipartisan way to move this forward is huge.”
Massachusetts state lawmaker Julian Cyr, who represents Cape and Islands, said he supports improving shark safety, but is worried that poor cell phone reception is limiting the alert system’s effectiveness.
open image in gallery
“The practicality of this law on Outer Cape beaches is limited,” Cyr told Boston 25 News. “For our Atlantic-facing beaches on Cape Cod, we’ve had a real challenge around cell phone access.”
Supporters say the legislation would serve as an additional safety tool, not a replacement for apps like Sharktivity, which rely on sensors and GPS to track sharks, but instead would notify users only when a bite occurs.
