Viral Backyard Shark Video Prompts Call for Action

Check out the video at the bottom of this post.

A home video of a 9-foot bull shark swimming along a seawall in a canal right next to a condominium complex’s lawn took the internet by storm last week, garnering more than 1.5 million views.

Now, some residents in the Bonita Springs neighborhood where the footage was shot are calling on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to make the north end of Little Hickory Island a swimming-only zone. The now-viral YouTube video that cast light on the problem has been followed by other videos and similar sightings have been reported, WINK News reported.

Residents of the area are calling for the stricter rules to prevent someone from getting hurt, Click Orlando reported.

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Bonita Springs City Attorney Audrey Vance told WINK that a change in the rules will ultimately be up to the state.

“FWC has to balance the rights of residents, the fisherman and the species,” the station quoted Vance as saying.

Homeowners are being encouraged to contact FWC to request the change.

There are parts of the state, such as the Fort Myers Beach Pier, where shark fishing and chumming are banned to protect swimmers. FWC also regulates shark fishing in the Gulf and Atlantic with a number of shark species off limits to fisherman. Bull sharks are not on that prohibited list and are considered “one of the more dangerous shark species,” according to FWC. The species is responsible for the third highest number of attacks on humans, the state notes.

To find out more about shark fishing or for information on contacting FWC, visit the agency’s website.

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