Shark Problem

I haven't seen this posted so I will.

The Gov is not going to allow shark fishing from the beach or the pier. Thats a given , just not going to happen.

Now I fish several of the Gulf piers and Gulf Shores is the only one that has this high of a shark concentration. Sure you get sharked everywhere but no where as bad as GS. I think the solution is to stop allowing fish cleaning and carcass dumping at the pier. With every fished cleaned and dumped we are just chumming the sharks in. Its just a matter of time before a swimmer is bitten.

That's why if I want to swim I go to a swimming pool

Cleaning stations is not the problem. It's the artificial pyramids out from the pier. They hold food for them year round so they don't have to go anywhere.

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Originally Posted by bperickson1

Cleaning stations is not the problem. It's the artificial pyramids out from the pier. They hold food for them year round so they don't have to go anywhere.

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Sure they do but why is that we have way fewer shark issues until EVERYONE starts using the cleaning stations? Stop the chumming and watch the sharks go back to being more opportunistic in a few years. Thats right years because now we've ingrained "free" meal to sharks without removing any or very few each year.

I agree with bperickson1. Used to throw carcasses ove on the old pier and never had a problem. When the new pier opened it wasn't allowed, but the garbage would get to heavy to lift for the staff and smelly on hot days so they went back to the old ways of disposing of the carcasses. It think when the bait fish show up, so do all the others, including the Sharks and fishing picks up due to that. Unfortunately, so do the Sharks.
The old pier was never a problem and we used to throw everything into the water. If shark fishing were allowed as it is at other piers, it would certainly would help.

I predict that sometime soon the local government will be paying someone to shark fish. This is a job for experts. If I am wrong, then you know I ain't no prophet. :o

There have always been sharks around. Seems like more now, probably something to do with the end of overfishing by commercial guys.

On the old pier carcasses were thrown over too.

And sure the reefs arounf the pier attract bait, but the pier probably attracts even more. I don't think that's a major factor.

In the 25 years I have lived down here, I have only heard of one shark attack. So that is a bunch of hand wringing about nothing.

Difference between the old pier and new, and all the sharks? May be the fact that the new pier is twice as long and in deeper water. But who knows?

:confused:

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What are you doing?
What are these guys doin out there?
What are they doin' back there man?!
Tell us what in the hell are they doing back there then!?
They're chummin' right now.
Chumming what in the hell's that?
They're tricking the sharks out.
Ten thousand dollars divided four ways is...what?
Watch your starboard!

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If you feed them, they will come!
http://www.emlii.com/images/article/...7ba7acc90d.gif

I think we're gonna need a bigger boat.

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Originally Posted by CarlF

I think we're gonna need a bigger PIER.

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Fixed it for ya ;-)

LOL!