5-Year Old Shark Attack Victim Is In Good Spirits

OCRACOKE, NC—

Being carefree is a way of life at the Outer Banks for vacationers.

But the harsh reality of the dangers lurking in these waters has put worries in the back of parents' minds, after a 5-year-old girl was attacked by a shark while boogie boarding in 18-inch deep water yesterday.

"You don't know what to expect these days, but we are hearing a few more stories like that and it's very unfortunate," says John Creef from Manteo.

Midday, the beach is packed but the recent shark attack is keeping some people out of the water. It's the second shark attack in North Carolina in the past month.

"It's crazy, you really don't know what's in there, it's pretty dangerous especially with the recent news of this shark attack," says Matt Wisergener.

As the tide rolls in, kids frolic in the water. Staying together is key; sharks usually shy away from packs, instead looking to pick off individuals.

During the day everyone here is safe, the sharks are well off the shore, but later on they'll make their way closer to the coast.

"I would not swim at dusk or dawn that's when sharks generally feed. That's when they will come into the shallows and follow bait into the shallows," says Mike Remige with Jennette's Pier.

What type of shark attacked the young girl is still being determined. There are a handful of types that patrol these waters, that's why it's important to look where you're going when you're strolling in the ocean.

"What happens is that somebody steps into a ball of bait and where the sharks of just kind of passing through and feeding anyway and they are inadvertently bit, it's an accidental thing," he says.

NewChannel 3 received a statement from the girl's family this afternoon, stating:

"Our daughter is in good condition after receiving a shark bite to the right leg. The shark attack occurred in two feet of water on Ocracoke Island. Mom was ten feet away and witnessed the event. Paramedics arrived promptly and she received excellent medical attention from EMS personnel, life-flight crew, and Pitt County Memorial Hospital medical staff in Greenville. She is in good spirits, declaring this morning that, "I hate sharks. I like dolphins way better."

Source;  http://www.wtkr.com/news/wtkr-shark-attack-statement,0,404921.story

Now Obama Wants to Ban Sport Fishing

More Hope and Change...
Here's Obama's latest assault on our rights-- He wants to ban sport fishing.
Obama may enjoy fishing but he won't let you.
The American Sportfishing Association reported:

A sweeping oceans and Great Lakes management policy document proposed by the Obama Administration will have a significant impact on the sportfishing industry, America’s saltwater anglers and the nation’s coastal communities. The draft policy, the Interim Report of the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force, issued on September 17, will govern federal Pacific and Atlantic Ocean waters and Great Lakes resource conservation and management and will coordinate these efforts among federal, state and local agencies. This past June, President Obama created the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force, led by the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), to develop a draft national policy and implementation strategy for conserving and managing the United States ocean territory and the Great Lakes.

“In regards to recreational fishing specifically, it is a long-standing policy of the federal government to allow public access to public lands and waters for recreational purposes consistent with sound conservation including the nation’s wildlife refuges, national forests, and national parks and should be reflected in a national policy for the oceans and Great Lakes. In fact, the use of public resources by recreational anglers is essential to the conservation model used in this country for fish and wildlife management,” said ASA Ocean Resource Policy Director Patty Doerr.

Doerr further said, “As with any good federal policy decision, discussions about measures that may restrict public access to public resources must involve an open public process, have a solid scientific basis and incorporate specific guidelines on implementation and follow-up. We are very concerned about the abbreviated 90 day timeline which forced the Task Force to issue this policy document prematurely. The implications of such a policy are vast and nationwide. Therefore, the review process should be very deliberate and go well beyond the 30 days public review and comment period which started on September 17.” The Task Force's Interim Report is currently under a 30-day public review and comment period.

Since 1950, with the passage of the Sport Fish Restoration Act, anglers and the sportfishing industry have provided the bulk of funding for fisheries conservation and management in the United States through fishing license fees and the federal manufacturers excise tax on recreational fishing equipment. According to NOAA Fisheries, saltwater anglers contribute over $82 billion annually to the economy. Despite taking only three percent of the saltwater fish harvested each year, the recreational sector creates nearly half the jobs coming from domestic saltwater fisheries.

VIA