American fishermen off the coast of New Jersey in the Atlantic Ocean got quite a surprise when a great white shark ravaged their chum bag while they were out on a fishing trip. It’s not as surprising perhaps, with the fish bait in the bag obviously employed to attract larger fish, although maybe not quite as a great white.
The chum bag was attached to the side of the boat, and the group was caught by surprise when they noticed the creature making its way towards them in the fairly clear water.
The shark is estimated to weigh about 900 kilograms, and while the footage circulated via social media from one of the fishermen (Jeff Crilly) shows the shark attacking the bag, it hardly seems like it had any sinister intentions.
The whole experience seems to be more exciting than scary to the crew as far as we can tell from the footage, but these kinds of encounters are concerning on a larger level when we consider wildlife conservation and issues like animal cruelty. The shark is left to continue chewing through the chum bag, which is plastic, while someone dangles a partially exposed fish in front of it.
This sort of occurrence serves as a reminder to other fishers of the risks they take and the dangers they pose to marine life, including sharks.
Image: Supplied
