The sandbar shark is the most common shark species that visits the Chesapeake Bay, but at least 12 species can be found. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
Comments
My brother saw a shark yesterday while crabbing in Pasadena (AACO). It was around 5ft long, during the day. He thinks it looked like a bull.
Ya know, stating the fact that the planet is getting warmer and some species prefer warmer water isnt a political agenda. Its a recorded, studied fact. But then, some folks like to call uncomfortable truths fake these days. Id argue THEY are the ones with an agenda. See the comment above (Meade Skelton, March 26, 2022, Interesting article hampered by political agenda with false "climate change " narrative.)
And yes, sharks are in the Chesapeake Bay, as well as many unusual visitors. Some years there might be more seahorses, porpoise, lamprey etc. But what do I know? Ive only made my living and fed my family working on the Bay and offshore Atlantic.
I saw a shark on June 23, 2024 at the Chesapeake bay end in Solomon's Island. It appeared twice to the surface and went back in the water. This was about 8:30 PM. It was about 50 meters from shore. Some people fishing and relaxing by the water also saw it. I was surprised to see a shark close to home.
July 2006: While waiting for our crab traps to set, me, my father, and his wife were fishing right by the key bridge in Baltimore. 5 minutes after casting I spotted a fin coming parallel to the boat. This was an 8 foot Bull shark. 100% no mistaking it. No one could believe it.
Have any sharks been seen or caught around Turkey Point Lighthouse, and surrounding areas on the bay?
I was walking the nets at Sunset Beach rescuing horseshoe crabs when I came up on two 3-4’ sandbar sharks that were trapped and killed.
The nets don’t seem to have any benefit other than to trap and kill animals, quite a shame.
Interesting article hampered by political agenda with false "climate change " narrative.
So I’ve fished the mob jack bay which is on the lower part of the Chesapeake, we’ve caught bany sandbars and bulls from early spring to late fall. They are thete year round or for a long ass time. So yea there are sharks every where even up your rivers cause the mob jack is brackish and the sandbar sharks can get damn big
There have been bull sharks found in the Potomac River a few times. Just saying.
Hello! Was fishing on the boat last night near the second tunnel of the Chesapeake Bay bridge- went out of Lesner. We caught 4 baby sharks! It was amazing. All were released with no injuries to them (or us!) one of the sharks had pink coloring- any ideas on species? I have pictures but I’m having trouble sharing them in this comment box. Very cool experience- I had no idea how plentiful the population was...
It cut me off ..when I returned home I turned on the news and a freind I know caught two rhe sane day his nets.. one weighed 1200 the other could not be pulled in and estimatee at 3000 . He was just south o rudrer just proves sharks go where the food is best
I am 82 years old and have been fishing hard all my life. The younger fishermen of today have a hard time believing we use to have quite a few sharks around the Bay Bridge. While fishing for large stripers/rock fish at night with ells at the bay Bridge, Every now and then we would hook a large rock fish and a shark would take most of the fish up to the head. Every now and then someone would bring in a large bleeding rock fish head. This happened enough that My fishing friends and I know for sure we have sharks in the bay. Probably bull sharks that hit our rock fish. What do you think about this?
Hey Brian, most sharks stay further south in the saltier parts of the bay. However, bull sharks can tolerate freshwater and have been observed north of the Bay Bridge all the way up to the mouth of the Susquehanna River. It’s likely that they are in Crab Alley occasionally, but in low numbers. Based on historical sightings, they are most likely to be in the upper Bay from July to September.
Do sharks live in crab alley?
Hi Christie! If you have a picture to send us, we could try identifying the shark you caught. Otherwise, the most common sharks are the ones mentioned in the blog. Here's some additional information about sharks in the Bay:
I caught a shark last spring, it was a younger one and I've wondered what type of shark I pulled in. Is there a way to tell what type of shark I caught?
Thanks y’all, my friend said no shark me in the bay but def is!
Without a picture, I can only guess at what he may have come in contact with. Since you commented on our shark blog, I’m sure you are aware that there are shark species that hang out in the Bay, although they are rarely spotted, so that could be an option. Sandbar and bull sharks would be the most common species to have come into contact with.
There are some fish that have been known to attack humans when provoked. One is the oyster toadfish and the other is the bluefish.
Years ago a waterman caught a 1,000 bull shark in his nets not far from Poole's Island. That same year a guy from Highlandtown caught a shark weighing around 750 lbs right around the bay bridge.
I have a question about a bite my son got while wading in the Bay at camp on the Chesapeake Bay near Still Pond, MD in early July 2019.
He was wading through the bay in water up to his hips and he was bitten by something on the back of his calf. It was pretty painful, he had to shake off whatever bit him and when he got out of the water - the bite had punctured his skin and he was bleeding. The bite was curved and about 2.5 inches wide but the top jaw was about 3-4 inches from the bottom jaw.
He did not see what bit him - does anyone have any ideas?
While sharks can be a semi-legitimate danger (and yes I readily admit for some a legitimate one), I’ve spent most of my life either on the water (fishing) or under it as a diver. I’ve dove with many sharks. Honestly, even in the case of. Bull shark, so long as you don’t do anything to threaten the shark, you have more to fear from a large flathead or blue catfish than any shark found in the Bay. Catfish tend to be more aggressive, more likely to bite down on something without visually inspecting it first, and are a far greater danger to humans worldwide.
Caught what I believe to be 2 Sandbar Sharks while Fishing on the Isle of Wight Pier on the weekend of July 15. One was approx 2 1/2 feet and the other approx 3 1/2 feet. They were both released unharmed.
While swimming off the end of my family's pier in 1969, with a mask and snorkel, I saw a large bull shark. I quickly climbed up the ladder of the pier to safety! Our home was on the Chester River, a few miles upriver from Chestertown, MD. Even then, it was well-known to the locals that there are bull sharks in the Chester River!
The natural habitat of the great white shark is not typically the Chesapeake Bay, but they have been known to enter the mouth of the Bay near Virginia Beach. Check out this article from last summer when two were spotted just days apart: https://www.chesapeakebaymagazine.com/baybulletin/2018/6/17/seeing-double-back-to-back-great-white-shark-encounters-off-virginia-beach.
Saw a swimming Lemon Shark near the coast. The shark soon vanished, and when I went to the place where it was, I saw a lot of broken shark teeth and bones. The shark was dead with a large bite in it's back, the size of a Great White Shark bite. Unsolved Mystery: Do Great Whites live in the Chesapeake?
Caught a very small hammerhead - maybe 18 inches long - off Saxis in 76. Threw it back.... but it was a hammerhead.
There is one reported shark attach in 1944 at North Beach. http://sharkattackfile.net/spreadsheets/pdf_directory/1944.09.03-PhilipStanton.pdf
The one this morning looks like a thresher ?? Off Hoopers Island
Ken. Gez how big was their crab pot. You mean outside tangled not it made its way into the pot like ells and smaller fish..
I Grew up on the eastern shore VA. And have caught a ton of sharks in the Chesapeake bay. Largest I ever caught in the bay was a 7ft bull shark.
Caz l. Salvador....I would not be surprised if there are bull sharks where you are swimming. They swim up river to have their young and they like shallow water. 10 feet is plenty deep for them! Be cautious and keep an eye out when swimming.
I swim 2 miles up the Occohannock creek (the eastern side of the Chesapeake). I hope to heavens no bull sharks would ever be there (max depth maybe 10 feet). Any reassurance appreciated.
I remember when I was a kid that they caught a shark in the north east river
I have lived most of my life on the water in Middle River in Baltimore County. The Gunpowder river separates Baltimore and Harford counties. In August of 1987, two guys I went to grade school with, were checking their crap pots off Maxwell point. they discovered a nine to ten foot Bull Shark trapped in one of their crab pots. Bull sharks come a lot farther north than the Patuxent river
Spotted: three dolphins at Tanyard Landing on the Poropotank River - August 2016. Though I haven't done so in many years, I used to swim, ski, paddle, on this small river all the time. Recently, my paddling has been limited to the Mattaponi River, but I'll think twice about venturing out into deep water with my little kayak.
I was fishing in the bay about five years ago just cruising the shipping channel. We noticed the water voiling with taylor blurs so we dropped some big cuts of cut bate. It turned out to be a school of black tip sharks. I have heard of people catching them a lot so i dont know why they are listed as rare.
There has been a bull shark frequenting the waters off of Cabin Point, VA this summer (2017).
Bull shark..2..spotted between Davis pub and mcnasby last night. Startled me in the kayak.
omg I always go in the bay, swimming,tubing,kayaking,I do everything, and one day last week I got on the tube but I had a really bad feeling, that I shouldn't tube bc there was a shark, but I thought there wasn't any sharks but I still didn't tube, but now that I read this, now I'm thinking that there actually was a shark.
Strange how they haven't mentioned Great Whites when they have been spotted in the bay. Rare, but they have been.
My family and I spent last weekend on a creek in Heathsville, VA. After 4 days playing in the water, we saw two sharks in the water (believe they were tiger sharks). Very frightening. They were only about three feet past the end of a 40' pier. My 8 & 11 year old spent a lot of time in that water paddle boarding and kayaking. Too close for comfort ! I was surprised because the Potomac River is not known for sharks but this spot was right where the Chesapeske meets the Potomac. I believe it was Hull Creek.
I THINKS its cool what your doing.Im going to be an shark hunter.from MICHAEL P.S YOUR COOL ALL OF YOU!!!!!
My husband and I were sitting on our pier at Waterview in Nanticoke, Maryland on Saturday (7/19/2014) evening to watch the sunset. We saw a dorsal finned fish come to the surface a couple of feet from our pier. The fin appeared to be about 6"- 8" tall above the water. The fish then disappeared under water. Only moments later we spotted two of them side by side on the side of the pier. We have never seen or heard of any spottings of sharks in that area. Our location is close to the mouth of the bay. Very interesting!
People should stay out of the water when there has been a shark sighting. The ocean belongs to the sharks; we should not be swimming in their ocean if we want to be safe. Just a thought.
I was fishing on the Cape this summer and I saw what had to be a ten foot 300+ pound shark, probably a big sand tiger or bull, rise and show its dorsal fin and back. The exposed part of the back alone was around 4 feet long. And I know it wasn't a dolphin because of the shape of the dorsal and color of the skin.
Hi I'm 10 years old and I'm very interested in sharks this information was very helpful so I want to say thank you and I hope I may learn more about sharks
Sharks are making a comeback, as seine and long lined commercial fishing is more closely regulated. I,too, have seen all of these species, especially within ten miles of the beach. To my knowledge, there is no longer a Va.Beach Sharkers Club, but if someone could find records of THAT group from the 60's and 70's, you would be amazed at the local catches.
BA
I grew up in Poquoson, Va.from 1976-1984 and had the honor of seeing most of the listed species of sharks in your article. My grandfather Crosby C. Forrest had a restaurant at the end of Messick Rd. Not only was he a restaurant owner, he was also a true blooded waterman thru and thru. He is gone (R.I.P. Cros) and so is his restaurant, but some of the best times of my life were spent out on the water with him in the James River/Chesapeake. Bay fishing, drinking, and observing the various wonders the ocean has to offer. I will tell you though, we had seen sandtigers 12-14 feet long no further than 12 miles from shore. Let me tell you, it's quite the feeling to see a tigershark 14 ft.long when you're along side it in a 20 ft.boat!
Thank you!
Your comment has been received. Before it can be published, the comment will be reviewed by our team to ensure it adheres with our rules of engagement.
Comments
My brother saw a shark yesterday while crabbing in Pasadena (AACO). It was around 5ft long, during the day. He thinks it looked like a bull.
Ya know, stating the fact that the planet is getting warmer and some species prefer warmer water isnt a political agenda. Its a recorded, studied fact. But then, some folks like to call uncomfortable truths fake these days. Id argue THEY are the ones with an agenda. See the comment above (Meade Skelton, March 26, 2022, Interesting article hampered by political agenda with false "climate change " narrative.)
And yes, sharks are in the Chesapeake Bay, as well as many unusual visitors. Some years there might be more seahorses, porpoise, lamprey etc. But what do I know? Ive only made my living and fed my family working on the Bay and offshore Atlantic.
I saw a shark on June 23, 2024 at the Chesapeake bay end in Solomon's Island. It appeared twice to the surface and went back in the water. This was about 8:30 PM. It was about 50 meters from shore. Some people fishing and relaxing by the water also saw it. I was surprised to see a shark close to home.
July 2006: While waiting for our crab traps to set, me, my father, and his wife were fishing right by the key bridge in Baltimore. 5 minutes after casting I spotted a fin coming parallel to the boat. This was an 8 foot Bull shark. 100% no mistaking it. No one could believe it.
Have any sharks been seen or caught around Turkey Point Lighthouse, and surrounding areas on the bay?
I was walking the nets at Sunset Beach rescuing horseshoe crabs when I came up on two 3-4’ sandbar sharks that were trapped and killed.
The nets don’t seem to have any benefit other than to trap and kill animals, quite a shame.
Interesting article hampered by political agenda with false "climate change " narrative.
So I’ve fished the mob jack bay which is on the lower part of the Chesapeake, we’ve caught bany sandbars and bulls from early spring to late fall. They are thete year round or for a long ass time. So yea there are sharks every where even up your rivers cause the mob jack is brackish and the sandbar sharks can get damn big
There have been bull sharks found in the Potomac River a few times. Just saying.
Hello! Was fishing on the boat last night near the second tunnel of the Chesapeake Bay bridge- went out of Lesner. We caught 4 baby sharks! It was amazing. All were released with no injuries to them (or us!) one of the sharks had pink coloring- any ideas on species? I have pictures but I’m having trouble sharing them in this comment box. Very cool experience- I had no idea how plentiful the population was...
It cut me off ..when I returned home I turned on the news and a freind I know caught two rhe sane day his nets.. one weighed 1200 the other could not be pulled in and estimatee at 3000 . He was just south o rudrer just proves sharks go where the food is best
I am 82 years old and have been fishing hard all my life. The younger fishermen of today have a hard time believing we use to have quite a few sharks around the Bay Bridge. While fishing for large stripers/rock fish at night with ells at the bay Bridge, Every now and then we would hook a large rock fish and a shark would take most of the fish up to the head. Every now and then someone would bring in a large bleeding rock fish head. This happened enough that My fishing friends and I know for sure we have sharks in the bay. Probably bull sharks that hit our rock fish. What do you think about this?
Hey Brian, most sharks stay further south in the saltier parts of the bay. However, bull sharks can tolerate freshwater and have been observed north of the Bay Bridge all the way up to the mouth of the Susquehanna River. It’s likely that they are in Crab Alley occasionally, but in low numbers. Based on historical sightings, they are most likely to be in the upper Bay from July to September.
Do sharks live in crab alley?
Hi Christie! If you have a picture to send us, we could try identifying the shark you caught. Otherwise, the most common sharks are the ones mentioned in the blog. Here's some additional information about sharks in the Bay:
Bull shark: https://www.chesapeakebay.net/S=0/fieldguide/critter/bull_shark
Sandbar shark: https://www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/field-guide/entry/sandbar_shark
Sand tiger shark: https://www.aqua.org/Experience/Animal-Index/sand-tiger-shark
Smooth Dogfish: https://www.vims.edu/research/departments/fisheries/programs/sharks/species/smooth_dogfish.php
Spiny dogfish: https://www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/field-guide/entry/spiny_dogfish
I caught a shark last spring, it was a younger one and I've wondered what type of shark I pulled in. Is there a way to tell what type of shark I caught?
Thanks y’all, my friend said no shark me in the bay but def is!
Without a picture, I can only guess at what he may have come in contact with. Since you commented on our shark blog, I’m sure you are aware that there are shark species that hang out in the Bay, although they are rarely spotted, so that could be an option. Sandbar and bull sharks would be the most common species to have come into contact with.
There are some fish that have been known to attack humans when provoked. One is the oyster toadfish and the other is the bluefish.
Years ago a waterman caught a 1,000 bull shark in his nets not far from Poole's Island. That same year a guy from Highlandtown caught a shark weighing around 750 lbs right around the bay bridge.
I have a question about a bite my son got while wading in the Bay at camp on the Chesapeake Bay near Still Pond, MD in early July 2019.
He was wading through the bay in water up to his hips and he was bitten by something on the back of his calf. It was pretty painful, he had to shake off whatever bit him and when he got out of the water - the bite had punctured his skin and he was bleeding. The bite was curved and about 2.5 inches wide but the top jaw was about 3-4 inches from the bottom jaw.
He did not see what bit him - does anyone have any ideas?
While sharks can be a semi-legitimate danger (and yes I readily admit for some a legitimate one), I’ve spent most of my life either on the water (fishing) or under it as a diver. I’ve dove with many sharks. Honestly, even in the case of. Bull shark, so long as you don’t do anything to threaten the shark, you have more to fear from a large flathead or blue catfish than any shark found in the Bay. Catfish tend to be more aggressive, more likely to bite down on something without visually inspecting it first, and are a far greater danger to humans worldwide.
Caught what I believe to be 2 Sandbar Sharks while Fishing on the Isle of Wight Pier on the weekend of July 15. One was approx 2 1/2 feet and the other approx 3 1/2 feet. They were both released unharmed.
While swimming off the end of my family's pier in 1969, with a mask and snorkel, I saw a large bull shark. I quickly climbed up the ladder of the pier to safety! Our home was on the Chester River, a few miles upriver from Chestertown, MD. Even then, it was well-known to the locals that there are bull sharks in the Chester River!
The natural habitat of the great white shark is not typically the Chesapeake Bay, but they have been known to enter the mouth of the Bay near Virginia Beach. Check out this article from last summer when two were spotted just days apart: https://www.chesapeakebaymagazine.com/baybulletin/2018/6/17/seeing-double-back-to-back-great-white-shark-encounters-off-virginia-beach.
Saw a swimming Lemon Shark near the coast. The shark soon vanished, and when I went to the place where it was, I saw a lot of broken shark teeth and bones. The shark was dead with a large bite in it's back, the size of a Great White Shark bite. Unsolved Mystery: Do Great Whites live in the Chesapeake?
Caught a very small hammerhead - maybe 18 inches long - off Saxis in 76. Threw it back.... but it was a hammerhead.
There is one reported shark attach in 1944 at North Beach. http://sharkattackfile.net/spreadsheets/pdf_directory/1944.09.03-PhilipStanton.pdf
ACTIVITY: Swimming
CASE: GSAF 1944.09.03
DATE: Sunday September 3, 1944
LOCATION: The incident took place at North
Beach, Calvert County, Maryland, USA.
38.70722 N, -76.531W
NAME: Philip Stanton
DESCRIPTION: He was a 13-year-old male
from Washington, D.C.
BACKGROUND
MOON PHASE: Full Moon, September 2, 1944
NARRATIVE: No details. Philip, his older
brother Donald, their mother and grandmother
had gone to the beach on Saturday night for a
brief vacation. Mrs. Stanton told police that all
people had been ordered off the beach
following the accident.
INJURY: The boy sustained a severe
laceration of the right leg below the knee.
TREATMENT: The boy was brought to Sibley
Hospital by his mother, Mrs. Dorothy Stanton.
SPECIES: Not identified
SOURCE: Washington Post, September 4,
1944, page 1
© Global Shark Accident File, 1994. All rights reserved. This report may not be abridged or
reproduced in any form without written permission of the Global Shark Accident File.
The one this morning looks like a thresher ?? Off Hoopers Island
Ken. Gez how big was their crab pot. You mean outside tangled not it made its way into the pot like ells and smaller fish..
I Grew up on the eastern shore VA. And have caught a ton of sharks in the Chesapeake bay. Largest I ever caught in the bay was a 7ft bull shark.
Caz l. Salvador....I would not be surprised if there are bull sharks where you are swimming. They swim up river to have their young and they like shallow water. 10 feet is plenty deep for them! Be cautious and keep an eye out when swimming.
I swim 2 miles up the Occohannock creek (the eastern side of the Chesapeake). I hope to heavens no bull sharks would ever be there (max depth maybe 10 feet). Any reassurance appreciated.
I remember when I was a kid that they caught a shark in the north east river
I have lived most of my life on the water in Middle River in Baltimore County. The Gunpowder river separates Baltimore and Harford counties. In August of 1987, two guys I went to grade school with, were checking their crap pots off Maxwell point. they discovered a nine to ten foot Bull Shark trapped in one of their crab pots. Bull sharks come a lot farther north than the Patuxent river
Spotted: three dolphins at Tanyard Landing on the Poropotank River - August 2016. Though I haven't done so in many years, I used to swim, ski, paddle, on this small river all the time. Recently, my paddling has been limited to the Mattaponi River, but I'll think twice about venturing out into deep water with my little kayak.
I was fishing in the bay about five years ago just cruising the shipping channel. We noticed the water voiling with taylor blurs so we dropped some big cuts of cut bate. It turned out to be a school of black tip sharks. I have heard of people catching them a lot so i dont know why they are listed as rare.
There has been a bull shark frequenting the waters off of Cabin Point, VA this summer (2017).
Bull shark..2..spotted between Davis pub and mcnasby last night. Startled me in the kayak.
omg I always go in the bay, swimming,tubing,kayaking,I do everything, and one day last week I got on the tube but I had a really bad feeling, that I shouldn't tube bc there was a shark, but I thought there wasn't any sharks but I still didn't tube, but now that I read this, now I'm thinking that there actually was a shark.
Strange how they haven't mentioned Great Whites when they have been spotted in the bay. Rare, but they have been.
My family and I spent last weekend on a creek in Heathsville, VA. After 4 days playing in the water, we saw two sharks in the water (believe they were tiger sharks). Very frightening. They were only about three feet past the end of a 40' pier. My 8 & 11 year old spent a lot of time in that water paddle boarding and kayaking. Too close for comfort ! I was surprised because the Potomac River is not known for sharks but this spot was right where the Chesapeske meets the Potomac. I believe it was Hull Creek.
I THINKS its cool what your doing.Im going to be an shark hunter.from MICHAEL P.S YOUR COOL ALL OF YOU!!!!!
My husband and I were sitting on our pier at Waterview in Nanticoke, Maryland on Saturday (7/19/2014) evening to watch the sunset. We saw a dorsal finned fish come to the surface a couple of feet from our pier. The fin appeared to be about 6"- 8" tall above the water. The fish then disappeared under water. Only moments later we spotted two of them side by side on the side of the pier. We have never seen or heard of any spottings of sharks in that area. Our location is close to the mouth of the bay. Very interesting!
People should stay out of the water when there has been a shark sighting. The ocean belongs to the sharks; we should not be swimming in their ocean if we want to be safe. Just a thought.
I was fishing on the Cape this summer and I saw what had to be a ten foot 300+ pound shark, probably a big sand tiger or bull, rise and show its dorsal fin and back. The exposed part of the back alone was around 4 feet long. And I know it wasn't a dolphin because of the shape of the dorsal and color of the skin.
Hi I'm 10 years old and I'm very interested in sharks this information was very helpful so I want to say thank you and I hope I may learn more about sharks
Sharks are making a comeback, as seine and long lined commercial fishing is more closely regulated. I,too, have seen all of these species, especially within ten miles of the beach. To my knowledge, there is no longer a Va.Beach Sharkers Club, but if someone could find records of THAT group from the 60's and 70's, you would be amazed at the local catches.
BA
I grew up in Poquoson, Va.from 1976-1984 and had the honor of seeing most of the listed species of sharks in your article. My grandfather Crosby C. Forrest had a restaurant at the end of Messick Rd. Not only was he a restaurant owner, he was also a true blooded waterman thru and thru. He is gone (R.I.P. Cros) and so is his restaurant, but some of the best times of my life were spent out on the water with him in the James River/Chesapeake. Bay fishing, drinking, and observing the various wonders the ocean has to offer. I will tell you though, we had seen sandtigers 12-14 feet long no further than 12 miles from shore. Let me tell you, it's quite the feeling to see a tigershark 14 ft.long when you're along side it in a 20 ft.boat!
Thank you!
Your comment has been received. Before it can be published, the comment will be reviewed by our team to ensure it adheres with our rules of engagement.
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