Bill in SC Legislature would protect tiger sharks

In a summer when there have been numerous reports of shark attacks along the South Carolina and North Carolina coasts, there is a bill in the S.C. General Assembly that would offer protection to tiger sharks.

The (Charleston) Post and Courier /www.postandcourier.com reported the proposal by Rep. Chip Limehouse would require those who catch tiger sharks to release them. The idea is to protect the sharks from overfishing and keep the ocean ecosystem healthy because the sharks prey on other creatures that are weak or diseased.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature determined tiger sharks were “near threatened” in 2000. That’s the last time the worldwide status of the sharks was assessed.

In South Carolina, commercial anglers Seasonal Seafood caught an 800-pound, 13-foot tiger shark Aug. 1 less than a mile off a popular surfing hangout, the Washout, on Folly Beach.

Joe Morris and Mike Huff of Seasonal Seafood had landed a shark weighing 400 to 500 pounds earlier that night. And several days earlier, they caught a 700-pound shark that was 11 feet long.

Bryan Frazier, a S.C. Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist who studies sharks, said large tiger sharks are known to appear in South Carolina’s coastal waters, but he said beachgoers shouldn’t worry because tiger sharks feed on sea turtles, sea birds, sharks, rays and other fish species.

Those sharks are in coastal waters all the time – they tend to feed behind the breakers or along steep drop-offs

The bill to protect tiger sharks passed the South Carolina House earlier this year and goes to the Senate in January.

Associated Press