EMERALD ISLE, N.C. — A North Carolina town is banning shark fishing after several attacks this summer.
Officials in Emerald Isle put a new town ordinance in place this week to ban shark fishing from the coast. Another coastal town, Pine Knoll Shores, is also trying to limit shark fishing by banning fishing at 10 beach access points.
- WATCH about safety tips before heading into the water:
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Town police will be out looking for shark fishing equipment. They'll hand out one warning to anyone they find fishing for sharks, then issue a citation if that person is caught again.
RECENT ATTACKS:
- June 27: Man, 18, bitten in Outer Banks near Rodanthe, N.C.
- June 26: Man attacked at Hunting Island Beach, S.C.
- June 26: Man, 47, bitten on the back off Avon on Hatteras Island, N.C.
- June 23: 9-year-old boy nipped on St. Helena Island while standing in about 12 inches of water.
- June 24: Boy, 8, receives minor leg and foot injuries at Surf City, N.C.
- June 14: Two teens attacked within minutes of each other at Oak Island, N.C.
- June 11: Teen bitten at Ocean Isle, N.C.
Visitors say they're grateful for the ban but they wonder how much it will actually help.
SHARK ATTACK HISTORICAL DATA:
"It's just, it'll be interesting to see if that's really what the cause is or if it's really there's less food, or they're just kind of looking for something different," said Garrett Shepard.
North Carolina marine officials are looking into whether the town has the authority to impose that type of ban -- which is typically regulated by the state.
- INTERACTIVE MAP: See where the attacks happened in the Carolinas:
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The change comes after a string of shark attacks along the Carolina coast, the latest happening on the Fourth of July in Surf City.
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