The sharks are circling!
A bumper crop of bunker fish churning along the coast is drawing the ocean’s greatest predator closer than ever to Brooklyn’s beaches, anglers and naturalists say.
“That population (bunker) is very high along our shore, and that is bringing sharks and whales much closer to shore, bringing the predators much closer to the beach,” said captain John Calamia of Whatta Catch.
Anglers plucked 17 of the beasts from the waters off Sheepshead Bay — including three man-sized, 200-pound Thresher sharks — during Stella Maris Bait and Tackle’s third annual Shark Tournament on June 25, and they agree that surging bait fish numbers have razor-toothed predators wading in closer to nab their next meal, Calamia said.
Thresher sharks are not man-eaters, but they’re still dangerous, the line-caster said.
“If you’re not careful when you’re catching them, you can get hurt or bitten. They have very sharp teeth,” he said.
But the burgeoning bunker (also known as pogies, shad, or Menhaden) are drawing more harbor seals, which attract larger sharks, naturalist Paul Sieswerda told this paper in the spring, attributing the swell of life to a cleaner harbor.
And Threshers attract bigger sea creatures such as whales. The hunters use their over-sized tail fins to herd prey into small bunches — even whipping soon-to-be snacks to stun them — but marine mammals sometimes swoop in to snatch a treat, according Sieswerda, a former curator for the New York Aquarium and founder advocacy group Gotham Whale.
Sharks are swimming closer to Brooklyn, but its not time to clear the shoreline yet, Calamia said.
“I’m not going to be the guy to sound the alarm that beaches are dangerous, but they are closer than they have been to a degree,” he said.
