One fisherman had quite the catch the other day. While fishing in the village of Island Park in Hempstead, he caught a much bigger fish than he had anticipated. When he reeled in his line, it was a 2-3 foot shark on the end of it. To make matters even more thrilling, this fish further surprised the fisherman. The shark chomps on this fisherman's arm as he tries to free it from the hook.
Shark Chomps Fisherman's Arm In Bizarre Fishing Catch
Credit: Take Me Fishing
While fishing in this park is common, reeling in a shark is not. The fisherman, who remains unidentified, was most likely expecting to reel in a regular catch that day. However, upon bringing his line closer, he realized he had caught a 2-3 foot gray shark.
In an attempt to be helpful, this man brought the shark onto shore. From there, he engaged in an attempt to unhook it from the line. A spokesperson told the NY Post,
"He didn't realize it was a shark, brought it up on shore, tried to unhook it, and in that process, the shark bit him on the arm."
While getting close to a shark is a known risk, I am sure that this fisherman was not expecting the shark to chomp on his arm.
Where Are They Now?
Although it is unclear what happened to the shark after it chomped on the fisherman's arm, the man's whereabouts are known. The Island Park Fire Department arrived at the scene and applied a tourniquet to the man's arm. From there, he was taken to a local hospital and cared for.
Luckily, his injuries are minor, and he is expected to be fine. While this is an unfortunate and rare incident, the same spokesperson told the NY Post that he thinks the attack was the fisherman's fault. He stated,
"It is purely his doing. He brought the shark to him."
Shark Fishing: Is It Common?
Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Although this instance of a shark chomping a fisherman's arm seems rare, getting a shark on the end of a fishing line is not as uncommon as some may think. This is particularly true during shark season. Sanbartackle shares the areas where you are most likely to end up with a shark at the end of your line.
They state, "While there is a chance to get a shark on just about any beach, inlet, or bay system, there are areas where sharks tend to congregate." They go on to explain that those areas include places that have "cuts within sandbars," places where there are "abundant bait," or "fishing jetties and inlets."
