NJ Mayor Warns Shark-Selfie Trend Could Endanger Swimmers
Bay Head Mayor Bill Curtis says videos of anglers baiting sharks close to shore for photos are drawing predators toward crowded swimming areas.
The mayor of a New Jersey beach town says a social media trend in which anglers lure sharks close to shore for photographs is putting swimmers at risk as the summer season winds down.
"It's not illegal to fish here. It's not illegal to fish for shark, but it is bringing in predators, they're looking for food and there's a lot of swimmers here," Bay Head Mayor Bill Curtis said.
Curtis was describing videos that show people attracting sharks toward the shoreline so they can take pictures with them. In one video that circulated widely, a group is seen pulling an 8-foot bull shark onto the beach itself before snapping photos.
The mayor's concern centers on the bait used to draw in the animals. "Putting food in the water there for the fish to go after is just luring them closer to shore," he said.
To catch sharks, some anglers paddle out to deeper water, drop the bait and then reel the fish in from the beach. A CBS News crew went out on a boat with Captain John Schaible, who took them roughly 100 yards from shore, to water about 15 feet deep — the spot where many shark fishermen drop their bait.
Schaible does not see a danger in the practice, and defended the people posting their encounters online.
"They are just having fun," he said. "They're not killing them. They're maybe taking a couple pictures with them and letting them go."
Curtis disagrees. He stopped short of calling for restrictions, instead appealing to anglers to think about who else is in the water.
"Common sense and consideration for everybody," the mayor said. "Everybody can coexist, just be a little careful with what you are doing."
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