State asks fishermen, swimmers to take steps to avoid attracting sharks to swimming areas

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — In the wake of Sunday’s shark attacks, Oak Island’s town manager asked state regulators about the possibility of stopping shark fishing off the town’s shore at least for a few week. Today, though, Tim Holloman told us the state is continuing to look into it, says they’re worried about enforcement.

This afternoon, the NC Division of Marine Fisheries asked fishermen and swimmers to voluntarily take steps to avoid attracting sharks to areas and at times when people are swimming.

The division offered these steps fishermen can use to avoid attracting sharks to swimming areas:

• Avoid fishing among swimmers. Fishing for any species on a crowded beach can cause injuries.
• Schedule beach fishing times at night or in the early morning, before the beaches get crowded.
• Never actively chum for sharks along a swimming beach. This increases the chances sharks may enter the area and in a feeding mode. Additionally, hooking a large shark on a swimming beach could result in the angler cutting himself or others with the fishing line.

The division offered these steps swimmers can take to prevent shark attacks:

• Avoid swimming in areas where people are fishing.
• Do not enter the water if you are bleeding, because a shark’s sense of smell is highly sensitive.
• Avoid wearing shiny jewelry that a shark may mistake for a fish.

These and other tips for swimmers can be found in a brochure called Shark Sense, published by N.C. Sea Grant and available online by clicking here.