Everglades Lemon Shark Drags Angler Off Boat, Officials Warn Visitors To Keep Hands Within Vessel

After an angler washed his hands in the Everglades and was pulled off his boat by a shark, authorities issued another warning to visitors to keep their hands inside their boats.

(Photo : Joseph Prezioso / Getty Images)
After an angler in the Everglades washed his hands and was pulled off his boat by a lemon shark, officials have issued a new warning to visitors: keep hands within vessels.

Bitten by a Shark in the Everglades

After capturing and releasing a fish in the Florida Everglades, a fisherman who has only been named Nick was washing his hands, wading it in the waters on the side of his boat.

Things took a dramatic change, though, as a shark charged at him from the murky water and managed to pull Nick by the hand, sending him plummeting headfirst into the waters.

The man can be seen briefly struggling in the water before making it back to the safety of the boat in the video, which was posted online by Captain Mark Gore, an Everglades fishing guide.

After the event, according to Michael Russo, who was on the same boat at the time, they hurried Nick back to the land where park officials assisted in getting him to the hospital.

According to Russo, that day was among his most terrifying boating experiences ever.

The fisherman was crushing the fish at first, and despite their best attempts, some of them were getting eaten by sharks, instead of serving as bait.

When Nick cleaned his hands in the water after releasing a snook, a sizable lemon shark bit him right away. The sharks were not agitated as there was neither chum nor blood in the water, according to Russo.

Shark Problem

In the Everglades, the sharks are no laughing matter, and it is not overstated to advise against people sticking their hands in the water.

To avoid future incidents like this one, Russo hopes that people will learn from this one. The Park Rangers were literally a lifeline as Nick was hurried back to the dock.

In the greatest possible care, he was airlifted to the hospital.

Upon viewing the video, other fishers immediately issued similar cautions.

Authorities have been warning everyone who would listen that there is a serious shark problem in the Everglades and Islamorada, according to Captain Perry Scuderi.

It is a poor idea for anglers to put their hands in the water after releasing fish.

While Captain Mike Venezia is eager to demonstrate the roughly a dozen locations where these lemon shark packs, some individuals weighing more than 250 pounds, are hiding. Because the conditions in infested spots are so poor, anglers can no longer fish there, Unilad reported.

The group that was in the video was snook and tarpon fishing in Flamingo, the Everglades National Park's southernmost administrative center.

Since the Florida Keys are surrounded by seawater from the Atlantic Ocean, it is not surprising to discover sharks there, WTSP10 Tampa Bay.

Also Read: Parasitic Snubnosed Eels Found Inside Mako Shark Heart [See Photo]

Lemon Shark

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, lemon sharks, the kind that is alleged to have bit the guy in the video, frequently enter estuary waters and freshwater areas.

The lemon shark, which may be identified by the bright yellow color of its skin, lives on coral keys and mangrove swamps around the Atlantic Ocean and some of the Pacific Ocean.

Although this shark is a powerful predator underwater due to its stocky build and other physical characteristics, commercial fishers who want to sell and trade the shark's meat and fins frequently target it, according to Oceana.