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Local Man Doing His Part To Educate The Public About Sharks

TOBAY BEACH, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- He is known as Long Island's "shark man," and he has dedicated his life to saving these misunderstood creatures of the sea.

CBS2's Jennifer McLogan spent Wednesday with Chris Stefanou of Massapequa. Together, they caught, tagged, released and tracked sharks on a South Shore Beach.

With a 15-foot pole that can reel in 400 pounds, Stefanou caught sandbar, brown and nurse sharks, which are harmless to humans. He then tagged each below the dorsal fin and released them so that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration can track the sharks' population, migration and health.

Stefanou, 22, who works as a comfort care provider at St. Francis Hospital in the Nassau village of Flower Hill, said he admires all of the ocean's creatures.

"I definitely love sharks," he said.

MOREShark Bites Fish Being Reeled In Off Cape Cod

As a volunteer with NOAA, Stefanou said he is going to do everything in his power to help save the species.

"These sharks are here because they monitor our oceans. They are the top of the food chain," Stefanou said.

This summer he has been posted along the border of Nassau and Suffolk counties, near Tobay and Gilgo beaches.

"They've always been swimming right where we swim," Stefanou said.

Stefanou catches, counts and collects information before releasing the sharks back into the wild. He made it clear the sharks he catches want nothing to do with humans.

"Oh absolutely not. They're all bottom feeders," he said.

During his interview with CBS2's McLogan, Stefanou actually saved a shark that had gotten caught in commercial fishing line. He removed the old hook and line and then tagged the shark, enabling fishery experts to track its movements going forward.

"These things go from the Gulf of Mexico all the way to Nantucket," Stefanou said.

He said at times he is asked to use drones to study shark patterns and behaviors. He said the shark bites off Fire Island this summer were accidents, not attacks, adding those sharks that come close to shore are curious, not predatory like a Great White.

With the data growing, experts say Stefanou is helping shark conservation, keeping our oceans clean and our ecosystem balanced.

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