INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Shark Caught Off Manhattan Beach Amid End Of Controversial Ban

By Dustin Wicksell
Published on: 03:41 PST, Sep 3, 2014

A fisherman reeled in a great white shark on Manhattan Beach Tuesday, dragging the animal from the surf just feet from the pier where another shark attacked a swimmer earlier this summer, igniting controversy in the local community.

The unidentified fisherman brought the five-foot-long juvenile shark out of the ocean just after noon, according to Easy Reader News. Liz Jason Barber, who was surfing south of the pier, said that the fisherman fought with the shark for about 10 minutes before he was able to land the fish. After wading into the water to retrieve the shark, the man used a pair of pliers to remove the hook from its mouth, before releasing it back into the sea.

Eric Martin, co-director of the Manhattan Beach Marine Aquarium, described the man as “polite” and said that he claimed to be fishing for bat rays. “He definitely wasn’t fishing for corbina,” Martin said, pointing out “He had shark tackle, including a plastic covered steel leader.” Earlier that day, Martin observed a shark while surfing off Manhattan Beach, which he believes to be the same one. Pointing out that the shark was a “first-year animal,” he said that it was not a threat to swimmers.

Lifeguards, however, closed the beach briefly after the shark was released. As The Inquisitr previously reported, a swimmer was attacked in July off Manhattan Beach. A fisherman angling from the pier fought a juvenile white shark for 40 minutes before the antagonized predator struck out. The attack prompted local authorities to implement a temporary ban on fishing from Manhattan Beach pier.

As CBS Los Angeles relates, the Manhattan Beach city council voted to lift the ban in early August, after state officials suggested it may be illegal. In California, fishing is regulated by the state Fish and Game Commission. Manhattan Beach Mayor Amy Howorth pointed out that the city council did, however, include certain ordinances in its ruling to overturn the ban:

No chumming is allowed, no cleaning of the fish on the pier, a certain type of line, a monofilament line, has to be used, a certain sized hook has to be used. So, we are hoping to discourage the type of fisherman or woman who might be trying to illegally hook great white sharks.

“I was surfing the day the swimmer was attacked by an angry shark that had been hooked by a pier fisherman,” Barber said. Pointing out that she “didn’t want to swim with another angry shark,” she opted instead to leave the waters off Manhattan Beach.

[Image via Twitter]

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