Safety officials are still trying to find patterns in the series of shark attacks on the North Carolina coast that might help keep the key tourism region safe for visitors, Governor Pat McCrory said on Thursday.  Related: Teenager bitten by shark no longer in critical condition in North Carolina  McCrory spoke after the seventh shark attack in the past three weeks, the most for the state’s coast in the 80 years for which the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File keeps records. The highest previous total was five attacks in 2010.  “We’re still looking for a pattern,” McCrory said. “I am going to be talking to my secretary of public safety to see if there is any one-fit-all approach to dealing with this issue. I doubt there is because each circumstance is so different.”  Local governments could consider restrictions on luring sharks to fishing hooks around areas where people swim, especially during the summer tourist season, McCrory said.  The latest shark attack was on Wednesday, when 68-year-old Andrew Costello was bitten repeatedly in waist-deep water off Ocracoke Island on the state’s Outer Banks. Reports list Costello’s hometown as Wareham, Massachusetts, Cyndy Holda a spokeswoman for National Park Service Outer Banks, said. Costello was the former editor-in-chief of the Boston Herald, the newspaper reported on Thursday.  A spokeswoman at Vidant medical center in Greenville could not provide an updated report of Costello’s condition on Thursday. He was in fair condition on Wednesday night.  Costello suffered wounds to his ribcage, lower leg, hip and both hands as he tried to fight off the animal, said Justin Gibbs, the director of emergency services in Hyde County. The attack happened around noon on a beach watched by a lifeguard as Costello swam in waist-deep water about 30ft offshore, the National Park Service said in a news release. No other swimmers were injured.  Most of this year’s North Carolina shark attacks happened in shallow water. The injuries ranged widely: an eight-year-old boy had only minor wounds to his heel and ankle, while at least two other people required amputation. Another person, attacked on Saturday, had initially been considered at critical risk of dying.  McCrory said he may visit the North Carolina mountains for the upcoming holiday weekend and plans to spend Independence Day at several community parades.  The seven attacks in North Carolina are the most recorded in one year since the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File began keeping records 80 years ago.  15 May: A 30-year-old man was bitten by a shark while swimming off Sullivans Island, South Carolina.  11 June: A 13-year-old girl suffered small cuts to her foot at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina.  15 June: A 12-year-old girl from Asheboro lost part of her arm and suffered a leg injury and a 16-year-old boy from Colorado Springs, Colorado, lost his left arm less than 90 minutes later and about two miles away off the town of Oak Island, North Carolina. Each victim was about 20 yards offshore.  23 June: A nine-year-old Fort Mill, South Carolina, boy was bitten by a shark off St Helena Island, South Carolina.  24 June: An eight-year-old boy suffered minor injuries to his lower leg, heel and ankle while swimming in knee-deep water in Surf City, North Carolina.  26 June: A 47-year-old man was bitten multiple times on the back in the surf off Avon on Hatteras Island, North Carolina.  26 June: A 43-year-old Pennsylvania man was bitten by a shark while swimming off Hunting Island State Park, South Carolina.  27 June: An 18-year-old man suffered injuries to his right calf, buttocks and both hands while swimming with others in shallow water off the Hatteras Island town of Waves, North Carolina. He was taken to a hospital in Norfolk, Virginia, in critical condition.  30 June: A 12-year-old Utah boy was bitten by a shark while swimming at the Isle of Palms County Park near Charleston, South Carolina.  1 July: A 68-year-old man suffered wounds to his ribcage, lower leg, hip and both hands as he tried to fight off a shark in waist-deep water at around midday on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina.
Seven attacks in three weeks is highest total in 80 years of records as state seeks solutions to keep region safe for tourists