MANCHESTER, Ohio | A morning spent fishing for bait fish ended with the discovery of a bull shark in the Ohio River near Manchester.
The dead fish was found at the Manchester boat launch, at Island Creek Campground on Friday.
According to John Bays of Manchester, he intended to fish for hybrid bass which frequent the area.
A shark, measured at 2-feet, 9-inches long was found floating along the shoreline, and appeared to have been struck by a boat motor prop.
There are a lot of bait fish called skip-jack, they are the ones that look shiny, like sardines, in the river. That is why the bass are here, and I guess that is why the shark may have been here, following the food, Bays said, also revealing a bass almost the size of the shark in the back of his truck. My guess is that it has been dead a day or so. Checking with a fellow fisherman, and a quick internet research, revealed that a bull shark is the likely species, and that bull sharks have been known to survive in fresh or saltwater areas, he said.
According to www.shark-world.com, bull sharks have been seen in the Mississippi River, and are , ...classified as number three on the list of most dangerous sharks in the world when it comes to attacks on humans.
Bays said his friend, who works all along the river, told him there had been bull sharks as far north as St. Louis, Mo., documented in the 1930s.
According to to www.shark-world.com, Bull sharks are extremely territorial which is why they often do attack people. They do migrate to follow the source of food but if it is plentiful they will remain in a certain area.
Another fisherman asked if he could keep the carcass, to preserve the head and jaws, which have numerous teeth, Bays said, but wildlife officials have asked him to keep it for them.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources asked me to put it on ice and they are coming to get it this afternoon, Bays said. I am curious to see what they find out about it. If it has been here long; it is possible it is about a year old, that means there are others.
Manchester Police Chief Jeff Bowling said he was surprised to see what Bays had in his truck.
I was skeptical when they said he had a shark, but it sure is a shark, Bowling said, who photographed the fish and contacted ODNR for Bays.
There have been no previous reports of shark sightings in the area, Bowling said, although Bays said he had heard of ducks disappearing from the water's surface and attributed it to snapping turtles.
I may have to rethink that, he said.
http://maysville-online.com/news/local/article_c2907098-ce26-5e6a-a4dc-44b55419c532.html
The dead fish was found at the Manchester boat launch, at Island Creek Campground on Friday.
According to John Bays of Manchester, he intended to fish for hybrid bass which frequent the area.
A shark, measured at 2-feet, 9-inches long was found floating along the shoreline, and appeared to have been struck by a boat motor prop.
There are a lot of bait fish called skip-jack, they are the ones that look shiny, like sardines, in the river. That is why the bass are here, and I guess that is why the shark may have been here, following the food, Bays said, also revealing a bass almost the size of the shark in the back of his truck. My guess is that it has been dead a day or so. Checking with a fellow fisherman, and a quick internet research, revealed that a bull shark is the likely species, and that bull sharks have been known to survive in fresh or saltwater areas, he said.
According to www.shark-world.com, bull sharks have been seen in the Mississippi River, and are , ...classified as number three on the list of most dangerous sharks in the world when it comes to attacks on humans.
Bays said his friend, who works all along the river, told him there had been bull sharks as far north as St. Louis, Mo., documented in the 1930s.
According to to www.shark-world.com, Bull sharks are extremely territorial which is why they often do attack people. They do migrate to follow the source of food but if it is plentiful they will remain in a certain area.
Another fisherman asked if he could keep the carcass, to preserve the head and jaws, which have numerous teeth, Bays said, but wildlife officials have asked him to keep it for them.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources asked me to put it on ice and they are coming to get it this afternoon, Bays said. I am curious to see what they find out about it. If it has been here long; it is possible it is about a year old, that means there are others.
Manchester Police Chief Jeff Bowling said he was surprised to see what Bays had in his truck.
I was skeptical when they said he had a shark, but it sure is a shark, Bowling said, who photographed the fish and contacted ODNR for Bays.
There have been no previous reports of shark sightings in the area, Bowling said, although Bays said he had heard of ducks disappearing from the water's surface and attributed it to snapping turtles.
I may have to rethink that, he said.
http://maysville-online.com/news/local/article_c2907098-ce26-5e6a-a4dc-44b55419c532.html
Seppi, Jason..how far r u guys from this? 
