It was a sad ‘skate’ of affairs.
The huge shark that forced some Long Island beaches to close may also have been responsible for the damage done to this doomed fish, authorities said.
First responders in Hempstead took this photo Monday of a very dead skate that came ashore with two massive marks on its fins, according to a Fox 5 reporter.
City officials believe a bull shark is to blame, after a couple of sightings Monday on the now-closed Hempstead beaches, including Civic Beach, Lido Beach, Lido West Beach, Town Park Point Lookout and Town Park at Sands . Long Beach was also closed due to a shark sighting.
Lifeguard Logan Fitzgerald told NBC 4 New York that he saw a shark 8-10 feet long while paddling on a surfboard around 10am Lido Beach.
“He got out of the water, turned. It just didn’t look like a dolphin. Definitely a shark, ”he said.
The bull shark was the largest seen in the area in four years, officials told the network.
Bathers were later allowed to kneel again in the waters of Hempstead beaches, while Long Beach remained closed.
Shark sightings occur the same day a woman was killed in an apparent shark attack off the coast of Maine. She has not yet been identified.
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