Ocean City Bans Certain Shark Fishing Methods

OCEAN CITY, Md. (AP) -- The Ocean City Council has passed an emergency ordinance to ban "chumming" and "blood bait" fishing for sharks on the beach in response to safety concerns.

Media outlets report that the ordinance, adopted Monday, is meant to stop activity on the beach that brings large sharks to the shoreline. "Chumming" is the practice of introducing bloody meat into the water.

Shark fishing is still legal off the beaches in Ocean City, but under the new ordinance fishermen must manually cast the line into the water.

Those who violate the ordinance could face a fine of up to $1,000.

Councilman Doug Cymek says he introduced the issue after it was reported that fishermen were bringing sharks close to the shore then releasing them in an area used by swimmers. This was allegedly occurring outside the operational hours of the Beach Patrol.