Sand Shark Feeding Frenzy Erupts In South Carolina
Visitors to South Carolina’s Grand Strand recently witnessed a feeding frenzy as a group of sharks circled a popular pier, and while some are concerned by their presence, local fishermen say the sharks are nothing new in the area.
Video of the frenzy was taken by North Carolina natives Matt and Dana Rice, according to the Daily Mail, and has quickly gone viral. While visiting Surfside Beach, a popular vacation spot, the family spotted a group of fishermen on the local pier, tossing their leftover bait into the sea. Just 150 feet from the beach, a large group of sharks had gathered, drawn by the easy prey.
While local fishermen are unfazed by the shark’s presence, others find them to be intimidating. Erik Miller, who was visiting Surfside, spoke with WBTW, noting that he was disturbed by the size of the sharks in the video.
“Those are huge sharks,” said Miller. “They could easily take your leg off or swallow a child.”
Brad Simpson, who has lived in Surfside for 22 years, admitted that the number of sharks in the area adversely effects local fishermen. He pointed out that, at times, as many as ten sharks would be spotted circling bait.
“If you get a fish on, a nice fish and try to bring him in a shark will usually get him before we bring them in,” he observed.
Shark conservation focus widening http://t.co/BN6DMNHyN6 via @BloombergNews #overfishing #sharks pic.twitter.com/rDAXmVWK0V
— Blue Planet Society (@Seasaver) November 3, 2014
The animals in the video are sand sharks, according to Dan Abel, a Professor of Marine Science at Coastal Carolina University. As he pointed out, this species of shark typically migrates south for the winter. Though they appear intimidating, sand sharks pose little danger to humans.
“They’ll be here a while longer,” he said. “but when the day length starts to get shorter and the temperature drops below 70 degrees in the water they’ll start moving South and maybe a little more off shore.”
Abel also noted that the Grand Strand is a favorable habitat for sharks, with some species calling the area home year round.
2 videos of a shark feeding frenzy right at Cape Lookout, NC shoreline. http://t.co/tNtCeFPzie pic.twitter.com/SFkcpIH2oG
— Shark Attack News (@SharkNewsToday) October 13, 2014
Recently, video of another feeding frenzy was captured in Cape Lookout, North Carolina. Over a hundred sharks were observed feeding in shallow surf, less than a month after dozens of dead sharks washed ashore in the same area, as the Inquisitr noted. Multiple sharks were observed nearly beaching themselves in shallow surf during the frenzy, before turning back out to sea.
[Image: Matt and Dana Rice via the Daily Mail]
