Council Passes Emergency Ban Against ‘Chumming Or Blood-Baiting From The Beach’; City Cites Growing Problem With Big Sharks Brought Ashore

OCEAN CITY — Resort officials on Monday passed an emergency ordinance banning an increasingly popular type of shark fishing from the beach that is bringing some big predators right up on the shore.

In response to citizen complaints and concerns, the Mayor and Council passed an ordinance on Monday night that bans shark fishing from the beach by any means other than traditional rod and reel. While the concept certainly isn’t new, over the last few weeks some surf fishermen on the beach in the north end of the resort are utilizing non-conventional methods for getting large baits considerably farther out into the ocean including paddling them out by kayak or even launching them from some type of propulsion device including “potato launchers,” for example.

As a result, the larger baits, including whole tuna carcasses with the heads still attached, are attracting large sharks much farther out then a traditional surf rod would allow and some sharks are being hauled up onto the beach. At least one and perhaps several surf fishermen are operating a quasi-business with people on the beach allowed to take a turn on the reel and then pose with the big sharks, some eight feet long or longer, once they are on the beach.

Councilman Doug Cymek, who knows a little about shark fishing from his years as a co-director of the now-defunct Ocean City Shark Tournament, broached the subject during Monday’s meeting and called for some action from the council to halt the potentially dangerous practice.

“I got several calls,” he said. “We don’t have anything in our code about chumming for fish from the beach, particularly sharks.”

Naturally, traditional surf anglers often catch smaller sand sharks and their dogfish and dusky cousins, but they are not part of the growing problem. Cymek said the problem, which typically occurs early in the morning or later in the evening, needed to be addressed sooner rather than later.

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