Hilton Head Island considers restricting summer fishing

The town of Hilton Head Island is considering banning fishing from the beach during the summer.

Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach already have laws on the books regarding beach fishing, and both cities allow beach patrols to regulate fishing during peak activity times.

Some Hilton Head council members are worried that fishing on the beach might attract sharks to shallow water. The proposal would ban fishing on the beaches from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Myrtle Beach allows fishing on the beach during the summer, unless the beach is filled to the brim with people. While there’s no official rule, beach patrols and lifeguards police fishing during “peak-people” times, according to city spokesman Mark Kruea.

“If you’re fishing in the summer you won’t catch sharks, but you might catch somebody,” Kruea said.

Fishing for sharks anywhere on the beach – including piers – is illegal, Kruea said.

North Myrtle Beach allows beach fishing with a saltwater fishing license, and it’s also illegal to fish or bait for sharks, according to city ordinances. Lifeguards have the authority to stop fishing “in the interest of public safety.”

North Myrtle Beach “has not had any discussion pertaining to a ban on fishing either on the staff level or at the council level,” according to city spokesman Pat Dowling.

Myrtle Beach officials have discussed banning beach fishing during the summer, Kruea said, but most of the fishing is “almost self-regulating, because of the beach patrol.”

Hilton Head Island Mayor David Bennett says banning beach fishing would be a bad idea.

“We’re an island known for our natural beauty, for an outdoor life and recreation,” Bennett said. “To come up with a rule that universally negates fishing from our beaches for a period of time that encompasses most of the tourists that come here, I’m not sure that’s sending the right message.”

Councilman Lee Edwards says it would be better to impose the restrictions only on the busiest sections of the beaches on the island.

More than a half-dozen shark bites across the Carolinas made headlines last summer, including one on Hunting Island. A 9-year-old girl also was bitten on the hand by a shark in October on Hilton Head Island.

Edwards says the fear of sharks is based on a misunderstanding.

“If people are worried fishing attracts shark to the beach, I would suggest there are already sharks in the water, they’re just not biting people,” Edwards said.

The issue is expected to come up again at a meeting later this month.

This story was originally published January 6, 2016 at 5:39 PM with the headline "Hilton Head Island considers restricting summer fishing."