The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) is increasing its investment in drone surveillance this summer for its beaches, doubling the state’s shark monitoring capacity along the Long Island coastal area.
State Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced new drone initiatives aimed at ensuring beachgoer safety. As part of the new measures, six drones have been added, bringing the total fleet to 28. Eight newly trained drone operators were added to the park’s staff, along with one “large enterprise drone” equipped with thermal imaging for nighttime and surveillance during adverse weather, as well as the ability to drop flotation devices in the case of emergency.
New York State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid said, “Over the past two seasons, we’ve learned that drones are the most effective mechanism to detect environmental conditions that could contribute to shark activity. We are expanding patrols with drones and watercraft to help prevent the rare occurrences of negative shark interactions with swimmers, surfers, surf fishermen, and boaters at our beaches.”
This marks the third consecutive year that the Empire State has upgraded OPRHP’s drone operations. In 2022, Hochul announced increased drone usage with expanded surveillance parameters at state beaches. In 2023, she doubled the park’s drone force from the previous year, followed by the further enhancements implemented this year.
For New York, drones have proven to be an effective way of spotting sharks near crowded beaches. Over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, Rockaway Beach in Queens was shut down for an entire day after a drone spotted a shark just 100 feet away from two swimmers. It’s worth noting that Rockaway Beach operates its own fleet of drones independent from the OPRHP’s fleet that was recently bolstered.
Along with improved safety measures for park visitors, the continued expansion provides increased career opportunities for drone operators and others looking for opportunities in the field.
New York Doubles Down On Drone Shark Surveillance
Governor Hochul boosts drone fleet and personnel for safer Long Island beaches.
Key Takeaways:
- New York State is significantly expanding its drone program for beach surveillance, doubling its shark monitoring capacity.
- The increased drone usage aims to improve beachgoer safety by detecting environmental factors that may increase shark activity.
- The expanded program includes additional drones, trained operators, and advanced equipment like thermal imaging drones.
- This expansion builds upon previous years' investments and demonstrates the effectiveness of drones in detecting sharks near beaches.
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I hope the Hawaiian Governor sees this article and follows suit. There are several beaches on several of the islands that could greatly benefit from this intelligent drone usage.
If you really want to make New Yorkers safer start operating the drones in their subway stations.
Be interesting to see how they’re deconflicting with the mass of banner towers and aircraft making the Shoreline Transit below 500 AGL under JFK’s B-space.