Thread: Thanks to Channel 5 for the Shark Story

Be sure to watch the news tonight. They got great video of the dang things swarming in the water.

Shark frustrations continue at Gulf State Park Pier - WKRG

GULF SHORES, Ala. (WKRG) - There is never a question of "if" you will see a shark at the state park pier, it's when and how many.For Sonny Hovatter, "I fish two to three days a week," it's a constant battle. "I would like to put a few on the pier to eliminate the problem. Most of them are regulars. They are here every day and they found an easy meal and they are not going anywhere."
Within seconds of hooking up, they seem to appear from nowhere. First four, then 11. They even have a name for when the shark gets your fish before you can land it, "you got sharked",

Anglers would like to be able to catch the sharks--but bringing a shark onto the deck of the pier is illegal. "They try to say because they have teeth," says regular pier angler Wilson Gregory, "but every other saltwater fish, about 90 percent of them, have teeth; King Mackerel, Spanish, just like a shark."
Earlier this year the state conducted a survey to try and find a solution. The results of the survey are not ready yet and in the meantime, the shark population seems to grow. "Nobody is harvesting them," says Gregory, "so they stay right here. I see three or four sharks right now."
Several suggestions have been made concerning the sharks including removing cleaning tables from the pier and setting aside a season for shark fishing like they do with alligators. But for now, anglers will have to deal with it the best they can.

I thought the sea's saltiness came from the tears of all the fishers who had their fish (and lures) eaten by sharks ;-) LOL

I would imagine the latest in shark repellent would suffice. The sharks are primarily attacking fish who are hooked up. The REAL question is why are they there? It's my humble opinion there swarming the pier is due in significant numbers is due to the lack of food source. Major decreases in numbers of kings, spanish and reds in the past 3 years is a symptom of something radically wrong. Answers to these questions are equally lacking. The department of Marine Resources enjoys significant financing thanks to the recreational fisherman. Their contributions DWARF all other contributions combined, though commercialization enjoys a tremendous percentage of this natural resource. Seriously doubt we will ever get the truth of it til its crippled beyond saving.

They are there because it's easy food. Much easier to catch a meal that is being pulled along on a line. That and the chumming near the cleaning station. Would love to see shark fishing allowed but can understand their concerns with liability.

Originally Posted by dasarge1953

I would imagine the latest in shark repellent would suffice.

I did some reading on this a while back. It seems the most effective shark repellent is based on putrefied shark flesh, is expensive, and dissipates rapidly in the water (does not stay around long).

Others have said that they have noticed that a rotting shark carcass repels sharks, but it does not appear likely that the State would allow that.

No shark problem at Navarre Beach Pier. They catch them - the sharks are leery, don't hang around, and don't chase hooked fish. With few sharks, they have some problem with porpoises - you do get "Flippered" occasionally, but the porpoises are more fun to watch than sharks, and draw more tourists too. There is a regular group of shark fishermen who shark fish at night off the octagon. In 8-hours on the pier, I saw one shark and 3 tarpon swimming along the pier. Two nice cobia and one 6-foot blacktip shark went off the pier Saturday morning, and several "chicken dolphins" were caught. Lots of Pompano just south of the sandbar. Sunday the Pompano were in a hole east of the pier, too far for me to cast, but those with strong casting arms were catching them for about an hour. Nobody got "sharked".