How were New York and New Jersey's economies affected by this shark? How did the people of these states react to this? How did this lead to federal government efforts?

By Saturday, July 15, Coney Island and Brighton Beach had lost an estimated 50,000 beach goers, replaced by gangs of men armed with guns and spears bent on killing sharks. Congress and the White House were besieged by thousands of requests for help in ridding the New Jersey shore of sharks. The Jersey Shore tourist business was plummeting, which was depressing the state's overall economy. The New Jersey governor held a press conference announcing that the shoreline was being attacked by more than one sea monster and that his administration had no answer for the danger that existed. President Wilson weighed in by establishing the "US war on sharks" (p. 125) headed by his Treasury Secretary, William Gibbs McAdoo who dispatched a Coast Guard unit, the Mohawk, to the Jersey Shore to "rout out sea terrors" (p. 125). The Coast Guard's involvement proved ineffective and the program was soon abandoned. The Federal government's advice for the coastal cities was to construct net barriers and for the people to stay out of areas that were not netted.