Drone-Assisted Shark Fishing Banned In Jersey Shore Towns

JERSEY SHORE, NJ — Surf fishermen can no longer use drones to carry baited hooks far off the beach to fish for sharks in a pair of Ocean County towns.

Bay Head police posted a notice on Monday that the practice is not permitted in the borough, and Mantoloking police followed suit on Tuesday, posting a similar notice.

"New Jersey law prohibits knowingly operating or using an unmanned aircraft system to take or assist in the taking of wildlife," the Bay Head Police Department said in the notice posted on the department's Facebook page, citing New Jersey statute NSJA 2C:40-28(d).

Both police departments said they will strictly enforce the law.

The announcements come after controversy erupted in recent weeks in the Ocean County beach town over fishermen using the technology to get their baited hooks out where sharks are feeding farther from shore.

Shark fishing on summer nights at the Jersey Shore has been popular for decades and only has drawn more notice in recent years because of exposure on social media.

Mayor Bill Curtis and some beachgoers raised concerns that the practice was creating a "Jaws-like" situation that puts swimmers at risk.

Curtis, in an interview with ABC News, expressed concern that the drone practice was drawing sharks closer to swimming areas, which could result in a shark mistaking “a child swimming frantically in the water … for chum” and attacking the child.

Shark fishing from the beach is legal in New Jersey and most coastal states around the country. At the Jersey Shore, it is primarily a dusk-to-dawn activity, as fishermen generally avoid beaches crowded with swimmers during the day for safety reasons.

Curtis noted that anglers were usually gone from the beaches by the time beachgoers arrive in the morning to spend time in the sun and play in the surf.

But the debate was triggered in mid-July when a bull shark was caught on the beach in Bay Head during the day. An Asbury Park Press report said the shark was caught by a group of lifeguards, who took photos and released it back into the water.

That catch, along with some nighttime catches on other Jersey Shore beaches of bull sharks and a tiger shark — both species are known to attack humans — have sparked concerns that were first raised by the Bay Head Improvement Association, which manages beach access in that borough.

An officer of the Bay Head Improvement Association posted concerns about shark fishing on the organization’s Facebook page. That led to significant pushback from fishing organizations, and the post has since been deleted from the Bay Head group’s page.

While Curtis and others have raised the prospect of shark attacks, there have not been any shark attacks at the Jersey Shore in 2026. There have been 15 recorded attacks dating back to the 1800s in New Jersey, according to the University of Florida International Shark Attack File.

Previous reporting:

'Jaws' Fears Worry Jersey Shore Mayor