Bay Head is a small borough on the Jersey Shore’s barrier island nestled between Point Pleasant and Mantoloking, less than one square mile with pristine beaches and family-friendly attractions.
In winter the population of Bay Head is about 1,000 people, but swells to about 10,000 in summer, making the recent shark controversy especially alarming for a quiet town trying to keep its tranquil image intact.
“But there’s no honky-tonk, no bars and no loud noises,” Curtis told one outlet, characterizing the town’s appeal. Now fishermen hunting massive sharks near its beaches have put that serenity in peril.
The quaint Victorian village at the mouth of Barnegat Bay appears largely untouched by time, with everything within walking distance including pristine beaches, restaurants, and other family amenities.
Curtis grew alarmed after witnessing fishermen using kayaks and drones to drop bloody bait into the Atlantic to attract sharks, sometimes with uneaten chum drifting toward swimmers.
“It’s ‘Jaws’ all over again,” Curtis fumed. “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.”
Recent shark landings have spiked along the coast, with an adult tiger shark caught and released on a New Jersey beach on Monday, July 27, marking one of the most notable catches. The catch involved Kenny of East Coast Shredderz, his friend Jake, Mac Johnson, and Kurtis Walrath, all experienced in land-based shark fishing.
Walrath, who provided the bait for that tiger shark catch, praised the crew’s expertise and respect for the animals.
“These guys are the real deal,” Walrath said. “They fish for sharks up and down the East Coast and it’s clear they have the utmost respect for the fish.”
“You’ve got to leave them in the wash,” Rosenblatt said. “You can’t pull them all the way up on the sand.”
Rosenblatt noted that conditions in New Jersey waters have shifted, saying “Something’s definitely changing in these New Jersey waters. It’s definitely warmer. It’s definitely more clear. There have been more tropical fish spotted, like smaller fish that you would maybe see more in the southern states.”
Curtis said the town has little recourse despite the growing danger.
“My hands are tied. The laws can’t help us. The lifeguards keep watch, and we made a town resolution encouraging anglers to comply with state and federal regulations but that’s all we can do.”
No shark attacks have occurred this summer yet, though the frequency of sightings has risen dramatically.
“Sharks only have one job and that is to get food,” said Kenny Rosenblatt, owner of East Coast Shredderz. “Most, like us, catch and release responsibly, but there are fishermen who don’t do things right.”
The controversy comes as sharks are already finding plenty of reasons to cruise close to the Jersey coast—and nearby New York shores too.
The popularity of surf shark fishing has grown significantly along the Jersey Shore in recent years, posing problems with both enforcement and data collection, particularly given how much of this fishery is done at night.
The sharks encountered most by surfcasters are federally prohibited species like sandbar sharks (browns) and sand tigers, making safe handling and release a concern.
Greg Hinks, principal biologist for the New Jersey Marine Resources Administration, brought challenges from New Jersey’s shore-based shark fishery before the Marine Fisheries Council.
Bull sharks are showing up in New Jersey in unprecedented numbers, with Apex Anglers documenting the surge in real time.
“There’s been a lot of bull sharks, so that’s been the new phenomenon,” Rosenblatt said. “Everyone’s calling them the Jersey bull.”
This year, there’s probably been about 15 people who got Jersey bulls.
The large species appears to be migrating further north as warmer waters expand their range.
Huge schools of squid and sand eels have created an underwater buffet for predators, while warming ocean temperatures are allowing some shark species to arrive earlier and remain longer.
“I’m hearing about bull sharks every week, almost every day,” New Jersey Fish and Wildlife biologist Greg Hinks told the Asbury Park Press. “It’s unprecedented.”
The chilling controversy echoes a dark chapter in Jersey Shore history.
In 1916, a series of shark attacks along the New Jersey shore over the course of 12 days left four dead and one gravely injured.
The first victim was 25-year-old Charles Vansant, who went out for an evening swim in Beach Haven, New Jersey.
The attacks took place in an inland creek more than a mile from the closest bay, claiming an 11-year-old boy, a man in his rescue party, and injuring a teen who would be the only survivor.
The shark caught was nearly eight feet long and weighed over 300 pounds, with 15 pounds of human flesh and bone found in its stomach.
Though the killer shark was initially reported to be a Great White, many experts now dispute this and believe the killer was more likely a Bull Shark.
The attacks inspired Peter Benchley’s novel “Jaws,” which became Steven Spielberg’s 1975 blockbuster.
During the summer of 1916, the resort beaches of the Jersey Shore ran red with blood, terrorizing the Eastern Seaboard for 12 days, with five people attacked and only one surviving, ultimately inspiring Benchley’s best-selling book in 1974 and Spielberg’s 1975 thriller.
More than a century later, Jersey Shore officials are hoping history doesn’t repeat itself.
“We can only pray the season ends without anyone getting killed,” Curtis added.
New Jersey does not necessarily restrict shark fishing from the beach, though specific regulations related to targeting sharks include mandatory use of non-offset, corrodible, non-stainless steel circle hooks when fishing with bait.
The New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council will continue monitoring the recreational shark fishing boom and its safety implications as the summer season continues.