Man catches shark off the coast of Madison
By Evan Sobol and Eliza Kruczynski
Click here for updates on this story
MADISON, Connecticut (WFSB) — A man caught a shark while paddleboarding in the Long Island Sound off the coast of Madison.
Eddie Carroll got the catch on video and posted it to Instagram.
Carroll was fishing in the Bluefish Tournament over the weekend when he caught the 8 foot shark.
“I knew it was big right when I hooked into it. It pretty much took all of my line,” Carroll said. “After you know, 20 minutes or so, I realized this probably isn’t a bluefish anymore.”
After an hour long fight, he realized it was a shark.
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) identified the animal as a female sandbar (brown) shark.
“I got my phone out and got a little closer and quickly realized it was a giant brown shark,” said Carroll.
DEEP said there are three large species of sharks that live in Long Island Sound: the sand tiger shark, the dusky shark, and the sandbar (brown) shark. These sharks are harmless to humans.
“Brown sharks are pretty common in Long Island sound,” said a spokesperson for DEEP.
Jim Noel from Madison is on the water every day, and is no longer surprised by shark sighting.
“You see dolphins, we see lots of seals, so many more seals than we’ve seen in the past. Starting to get larger sharks in the area. It’s bound to happen. They’ve always been here but now we’re starting to see them a little more,” Noel said.
“This is no cause for alarm as dusky sharks, sandbar sharks, and sand tiger sharks are harmless to humans – in fact, they could use our help!” said DEEP.
The department said if you catch one of the sharks, you should immediately release it back into the sound, unharmed.
Eddie has grown pretty comfortable fishing off his paddleboard, and is planning to head back out on the water soon.
“I think around here, people have the mentality that there are no sharks in the sound. I had that similar mentality. I was pretty shocked by what I had pulled up,” Carroll said. “People should be aware that they’re here.”
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
