BALLERONBUDGET
07-15-2014, 10:17 AM
Swimmers, surfers and fishermen have, for the most part, co-existed in relative peace in South Bay coastal waters.
Yes, there are occasional complaints when a surfer becomes entangled in a fishing line or body boarders glide across a fisherman’s line, lifeguards say. Still, the relationship is generally cordial.
But the attack of a long-distance swimmer by a great white shark wrangling with a fisherman’s hook off the Manhattan Beach Pier has riled up the local community, with many calling for a permanent ban on fishing off the pier.
In the aftermath of the July 5 shark bite of swimmer Steven Robles, the city of Manhattan Beach closed the pier to fishing for 60 days. The City Council will discuss permanent options for pier fishing at its meeting at 6 p.m. tonight.
Some on social media have all but called for the fisherman’s head on a platter. And PETA has asked all California cities to permanently ban fishing from their piers.
The rare attack in local waters demonstrates that fishing in a populated area increases the risk that sharks will bite humans, whom they are otherwise uninterested in as prey, forcing the hooked sharks to lash out, the organization said. Fishing also attracts sharks lured by the smell of bait or blood from fish that have already been caught, PETA said.
“When you consider that in 2012, anglers at the Manhattan Beach Pier reeled in at least four great white sharks on three separate occasions, it seems clear that the best way to protect public safety and reduce the risk that another swimmer will be injured or killed by a panicked or confused shark is to ban fishing at the pier permanently,” PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman wrote to the Manhattan Beach mayor.
The shark attack was “a new wrinkle” in a long discussion about co-existing in the ocean, said Los Angeles County Lifeguard Capt. Kyle Daniels.
“We have a long history of miscreants in all groups,” he said. “We’ve had surfers that have caused plenty of problems for swimmer safety and other surfers. We’ve had boogie boarders and body surfers who have caused their share of problems, and we have fishermen that have caused their share of problems.”
Daniels said that in his 20 years of experience as a lifeguard, it’s individuals — not groups as a whole — who cause problems.
“Before the incident, I didn’t see one post on social media calling for the end of fishing on the pier,” he said. “Then (the bite) happened, and (fishing) is the worst evil the city has ever seen. The knee-jerk reaction toward one individual’s bad decision shouldn’t punish the entire fishing community.”
Daniels said critics should imagine what would happen if a surfer accidentally injured a child.
“I would be shocked to hear an outcry of ‘We need to ban surfing.’ Do we ban fishing from the pier because of one individual?” he said. “Or do we look at the greater good here?”
As lifeguards, he said, their role is to let the 65-million-plus visitors to L.A. County beaches each year have their piece of enjoyment.
“All these problems come down to a lot of people wanting to enjoy the same place,” he said. “We need to learn to share and get along with each other.”
Long-distance swimmer Nader Nejadhashemi, who swims from the Hermosa Beach Pier to the Manhattan Beach Pier with a group every weekend, said fishermen and swimmers typically get along near the piers, with most employing common sense.
“It’s usually been mutual respect,” he said. “We try not to hit their lines and go around them when we get to the pier. I’m not saying we never touch their lines, but we don’t pull on it or anything.”
However, Nejadhashemi said, if fishermen are throwing out bait to catch sharks, “we’re basically swimming among shark bait.”
“Either we should ban swimming near there or they should not be allowed to put out anything that attracts sharks.”
Jason Hagemann, the fisherman who hooked the great white shark in the July 5 incident, said, historically, fishermen, surfers and swimmers have all gotten along at the pier. However, many people swim right by the pier even though county regulations prohibit swimmers, surfers, scuba divers and others from recreating within 100 feet of any pier, Hagemann said.
“Swimmers come along and stop 15 feet in front of the pier, play with our fishing lines, hang out right by our lines like nothing is going to happen to them,” Hagemann said. “They put themselves right in front of us.”
Hagemann acknowledged recent posts on social media calling for a ban on fishing because they claim fishing lines are dangerous for those in the water.
“They say, ‘We get tangled in their lines.’ Then stay away from the pier,” Hagemann said. “They get tangled and look at us like we’re doing something wrong. That pier is there for us to fish off of. That’s why it was built.”
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said last week that Hagemann had not violated state fishing laws when he hooked the shark. Hagemann employed techniques used to fish for many species of sharks, rays and other fish, and Facebook posts and interviews showed the angler was targeting bat rays, the department said.
“This is a legal activity and consistent with numerous other fishing practices in waters where similar tackle is used to catch a variety of fish species,” the department’s statement said. “Although this was a very unfortunate incident where a person was injured, criminal prosecution requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime was committed.”
Hagemann said the real problem in the water, which even angers fishermen, are “snaggers” — anglers who use several hooks on a line and cast right into the surf.
“They’ll leave their line sitting there right in the surf and yank the line and snag a fish as soon as they see one,” he said. “That’s what causes the majority of problems on the pier. With all those hooks in the sand in knee-deep water, people trying to get into the surf are inadvertently being snagged and hooked.”
On a recent weeknight, anglers lined the edge of the Horseshoe Pier in Redondo Beach, throwing their lines across the dark blue water, some snagging five or six mackerel at a time.
The idea that fishing could possibly be banned from piers? “It would be awful,” one fisherman said.
“It would be a major bummer,” said fisherman Michael Line. “I think people should have sense. If people are fishing, swimming by them is asking for trouble. I would hope most people use common sense.”
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Yes, there are occasional complaints when a surfer becomes entangled in a fishing line or body boarders glide across a fisherman’s line, lifeguards say. Still, the relationship is generally cordial.
But the attack of a long-distance swimmer by a great white shark wrangling with a fisherman’s hook off the Manhattan Beach Pier has riled up the local community, with many calling for a permanent ban on fishing off the pier.
In the aftermath of the July 5 shark bite of swimmer Steven Robles, the city of Manhattan Beach closed the pier to fishing for 60 days. The City Council will discuss permanent options for pier fishing at its meeting at 6 p.m. tonight.
Some on social media have all but called for the fisherman’s head on a platter. And PETA has asked all California cities to permanently ban fishing from their piers.
The rare attack in local waters demonstrates that fishing in a populated area increases the risk that sharks will bite humans, whom they are otherwise uninterested in as prey, forcing the hooked sharks to lash out, the organization said. Fishing also attracts sharks lured by the smell of bait or blood from fish that have already been caught, PETA said.
“When you consider that in 2012, anglers at the Manhattan Beach Pier reeled in at least four great white sharks on three separate occasions, it seems clear that the best way to protect public safety and reduce the risk that another swimmer will be injured or killed by a panicked or confused shark is to ban fishing at the pier permanently,” PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman wrote to the Manhattan Beach mayor.
The shark attack was “a new wrinkle” in a long discussion about co-existing in the ocean, said Los Angeles County Lifeguard Capt. Kyle Daniels.
“We have a long history of miscreants in all groups,” he said. “We’ve had surfers that have caused plenty of problems for swimmer safety and other surfers. We’ve had boogie boarders and body surfers who have caused their share of problems, and we have fishermen that have caused their share of problems.”
Daniels said that in his 20 years of experience as a lifeguard, it’s individuals — not groups as a whole — who cause problems.
“Before the incident, I didn’t see one post on social media calling for the end of fishing on the pier,” he said. “Then (the bite) happened, and (fishing) is the worst evil the city has ever seen. The knee-jerk reaction toward one individual’s bad decision shouldn’t punish the entire fishing community.”
Daniels said critics should imagine what would happen if a surfer accidentally injured a child.
“I would be shocked to hear an outcry of ‘We need to ban surfing.’ Do we ban fishing from the pier because of one individual?” he said. “Or do we look at the greater good here?”
As lifeguards, he said, their role is to let the 65-million-plus visitors to L.A. County beaches each year have their piece of enjoyment.
“All these problems come down to a lot of people wanting to enjoy the same place,” he said. “We need to learn to share and get along with each other.”
Long-distance swimmer Nader Nejadhashemi, who swims from the Hermosa Beach Pier to the Manhattan Beach Pier with a group every weekend, said fishermen and swimmers typically get along near the piers, with most employing common sense.
“It’s usually been mutual respect,” he said. “We try not to hit their lines and go around them when we get to the pier. I’m not saying we never touch their lines, but we don’t pull on it or anything.”
However, Nejadhashemi said, if fishermen are throwing out bait to catch sharks, “we’re basically swimming among shark bait.”
“Either we should ban swimming near there or they should not be allowed to put out anything that attracts sharks.”
Jason Hagemann, the fisherman who hooked the great white shark in the July 5 incident, said, historically, fishermen, surfers and swimmers have all gotten along at the pier. However, many people swim right by the pier even though county regulations prohibit swimmers, surfers, scuba divers and others from recreating within 100 feet of any pier, Hagemann said.
“Swimmers come along and stop 15 feet in front of the pier, play with our fishing lines, hang out right by our lines like nothing is going to happen to them,” Hagemann said. “They put themselves right in front of us.”
Hagemann acknowledged recent posts on social media calling for a ban on fishing because they claim fishing lines are dangerous for those in the water.
“They say, ‘We get tangled in their lines.’ Then stay away from the pier,” Hagemann said. “They get tangled and look at us like we’re doing something wrong. That pier is there for us to fish off of. That’s why it was built.”
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said last week that Hagemann had not violated state fishing laws when he hooked the shark. Hagemann employed techniques used to fish for many species of sharks, rays and other fish, and Facebook posts and interviews showed the angler was targeting bat rays, the department said.
“This is a legal activity and consistent with numerous other fishing practices in waters where similar tackle is used to catch a variety of fish species,” the department’s statement said. “Although this was a very unfortunate incident where a person was injured, criminal prosecution requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime was committed.”
Hagemann said the real problem in the water, which even angers fishermen, are “snaggers” — anglers who use several hooks on a line and cast right into the surf.
“They’ll leave their line sitting there right in the surf and yank the line and snag a fish as soon as they see one,” he said. “That’s what causes the majority of problems on the pier. With all those hooks in the sand in knee-deep water, people trying to get into the surf are inadvertently being snagged and hooked.”
On a recent weeknight, anglers lined the edge of the Horseshoe Pier in Redondo Beach, throwing their lines across the dark blue water, some snagging five or six mackerel at a time.
The idea that fishing could possibly be banned from piers? “It would be awful,” one fisherman said.
“It would be a major bummer,” said fisherman Michael Line. “I think people should have sense. If people are fishing, swimming by them is asking for trouble. I would hope most people use common sense.”
About the Author
Reach the author at carley.dryden@langnews.com or follow Carley on Twitter: carleydryden.
Full bio and more articles by Carley Dryden
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