A 21-year-old fisherman was bitten on the leg by a brown (sandbar) shark on the beach near Hoicks Hollow Road on Nantucket late Sunday evening, July 6. The bite occurred as the angler was releasing the shark back into the ocean after unhooking it.
According to the Nantucket Current, the injury was described as non-life-threatening, but serious enough to warrant air transport to a Boston-area hospital via MedFlight. The man was initially brought by a friend to Nantucket Cottage Hospital before being flown off-island for further treatment. Local first responders were not involved in the beachside response.
The shark was a sandbar shark, a species known locally as a “brown shark” and commonly encountered by surfcasters and shore-based shark anglers throughout the Northeast during the warmer months. While sandbar sharks are generally not considered dangerous to humans, bites can occur when handling a large, powerful shark in close quarters.
As shark fishing from shore gains popularity, especially on Cape Cod and the Islands, incidents like this underscore the need for responsible handling practices and a strong understanding of the species being targeted. Anglers are encouraged to leave the shark in the water and avoid dragging it onto the beach, while using long-handled de-hookers to remove the hook. Brown sharks are a protected species and must be released.
