Eric Behm – ENG 101
Dear Residents of Clearwater,
As you have probably all heard there was indeed a recent shark attack at one of the beaches in Clearwater. The news reports are true as unfortunate as it is for me to say the attack was fatal, and we have lost a resident of Clearwater from this tragedy. This letter I am writing today as your mayor is one that urges all of you to be cautious in you recreational activities here at our beaches. It has been a long known fact that the beaches of Clearwater and Florida in general are some of the most beautiful in the world, but they do not come without risks. There is no way to avoid the topic of sharks when you talk about going to the beach, and that is why extreme caution is necessary when visiting a beach here in Clearwater. Now as reported by the Florida Museum of Natural History, there have only been 12 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks since 1882 in Pinellas County, which is a staggering low number. But that does not mean precautions should not be taken when going to the beach or swimming in the ocean. Fatal attacks like this rock our community all the way through, and rightfully so. Some of the greatest memories I have as a young boy is playing at the beach with my parents and I can’t begin to tell you the countless memories I have made at the beach with my own family. Nobody wants to lose a family member to a tragedy like this, and as your mayor I do not want to lose a valued community member like yourself. I urge each and every one of you to be cautious in your endeavors at the beach this summer and for the rest of the year. Each and every one of our community members is an important one, and together we all make this on of the best communities through all of the country.
Sincerely,
Mayor John Stevens
I was able to find a good resource that gave good information on where shark attacks have occurred all over the world from the mid 1980s until 2010. This is a great site because it not only gives numbers, but it also shows maps that I think are very helpful and easy to use. And it is from a credible source from the Florida Museum of Natural History.
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/isaf/graphs.htm
This was another attack location that I was able to find about shark attacks in the Red Sea in december of last year. The reason I like this source is because when I think of shark attacks I do not normally think of them being in the Red Sea. This is a very good source because it is an established news paper with credibility.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2010/1206/Egypt-shark-attacks-Why-are-Red-Sea-attacks-rising
I liked this source because this was giving good information but it was also in a slideshow format so it was easy to read and navigate. This would be helpful because it puts the locations in a list so we know what places have the most attacks. This is a reliable source because it is from the discovery channel which is very credible.
http://animals.howstuffworks.com/fish/dangerous-place-shark-attack1.htm
One thing that I like about this source is the fact that it focuses on one area and does something different by giving advice to people that visit this area. I also liked it because it is somewhere that I have been and somewhere that most people are aware of. It is a credible and very reliable source.
http://research.calacademy.org/aquatic/shark
I liked this source because it was very good and giving common questions that would be asked and then answering them simply and too the point. It didn't give you a ton of confusing information, it got right down too it which I think made the research easier. The source is good and reliable and is defiantly a source I would use.
http://na.oceana.org/en/our-work/protect-marine-wildlife/sharks/learn-act/shark-attack-statistics
