After boaters were rescued Monday after fending off sharks about 25 miles off the coast of Empire, Louisiana Oyster Task Force Chairman and fisherman Mitch Jurisich the Coast Guard arrived just in time because one man was holding onto an ice chest, and he bravely knew to go for the shark’s eyes.
“And he poked both eyes with his thumbs and said the shark swam off abruptly. So that was definitely what got the shark away from him, but not before it bit his finger,” said Jurisich.
Jurisich said sadly it’s not the first time those in the industry have encountered the feared beast. He said sharks have grown extremely aggressive and it’s also taking a bite out of their catch.
“And if we can’t get the fish to the boat, you know how many did we lose to sharks. I bet we lost over half of the snapper hook this year to sharks, and that’s just unreal,” said Jurisich.
For a video of the rescue click here.
Jurisich believes federal protections of sharks have only allowed them to grow in numbers and those protections need to be revised due to the threat it’s now having on individuals and the fishing industry. He said plenty of fishermen like him are frustrated that sharks are honing in on their catch.
“And only to have it bitten off by sharks. You know they spend a lot of money, invest a lot of time to get out there on the water on a pretty day, and next thing you know you’re coming in empty-handed, and all you did was feed sharks,” said Jurisich.
Besides man, Jurisich said the only known predator of sharks are whales and he said there aren’t too many of them in the gulf.
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