Jersey Shore Shark Fears Rise Over Chumming

Jersey Shore shark fears are rising in Bay Head, where Mayor Bill Curtis says some fishermen are using bait to draw sharks closer to beaches where families and children are swimming. He warned that the practice is creating a dangerous scene along the coast, even as no attacks have been reported this summer.

Curtis told The Post that anglers have been using kayaks and drones to drop bloody bait fish into the water in an effort to attract sharks. He said the uneaten bait can drift toward shore. “It’s ‘Jaws’ all over again,” Curtis said, adding, “It’s crazy — a disaster headed straight for us! I’ve personally seen them chumming for sharks, even during the day. God forbid a child gets bitten or killed.”

The concern comes after surf fishermen on the Jersey Shore legally landed at least four bull sharks and a tiger shark. Those species are known for unprovoked attacks on people, and their presence has sharpened anxiety in towns that depend on summer beach crowds. Curtis said the town has limited power to act because the chumming is irresponsible, but not illegal. Bay Head has passed a town resolution urging anglers to follow state and federal rules, and lifeguards are keeping watch.

The issue is not unfolding in a vacuum. Sharks have been showing up more often near the Jersey coast and nearby New York waters as food sources move through the region. Huge schools of squid and sand eels have created what amounts to an underwater feeding ground, while warmer ocean temperatures have allowed some shark species to arrive earlier and stay longer. New Jersey Fish and Wildlife biologist Greg Hinks told the Asbury Park Press that he has been hearing about bull sharks “every week, almost every day,” and called the pattern unprecedented.