From:Eddy Munster
To:City Council
Subject:City Council meeting 9-15-2026 email retaining to thresher sharks being hung off the Pismo Brach Pier. Please place this on the record for the meeting
Date:Tuesday, September 15, 2026 2:22:56 PM
External Email
Dear Mayor and Members of the Pismo Beach City Council, I am writing to express a serious public safety concern regarding the handling of sharks caught by fishermen from the Pismo Beach Pier.
I have surfed Pismo Beach for most of my life, and what I have witnessed during the past several months is something I have never seen before. On multiple occasions, fishermen targeting thresher sharks have caught sharks, cut them open, and then suspended the sharks by rope over the side of the pier, allowing them to bleed directly into the ocean.
This is not an isolated incident. One day there may be one shark hanging from the pier and bleeding into the water; on another day, there may be several. I have personally seen as many as five sharks hanging from the pier and bleeding into the ocean near areas used by surfers, swimmers, families, and other beachgoers.
I understand that shark fishing from the pier may be legal, and I am not asking the City to prohibit lawful fishing. My concern is specifically about the manner in which freshly caught sharks are being stored, bled, or processed over the water in an area heavily used by the public.
The waters around Pismo Beach, Shell Beach, and Oceano have had numerous reported and documented great white shark sightings in recent years. Videos and reports of great white sharks swimming close to our beaches have become increasingly common. Regardless of how statistically low the risk of a shark attack may be, deliberately allowing large quantities of shark blood and other biological material to enter the water immediately adjacent to swimmers and surfers raises an obvious and reasonable public safety concern.
Thousands of residents and visitors use the Pismo Beach waterfront. Children play in the water. Families gather around the pier. Surfers routinely enter the ocean on both sides of the pier. These people may have no idea that sharks are being bled into the same water just offshore.
I am a California Peace Officer, and public safety is a responsibility I take very seriously.
From a public safety standpoint, I believe this situation deserves the City’s immediate attention. We should not wait for an incident to occur before considering reasonable preventive measures.
I respectfully ask the City Council to investigate this practice and determine what authority the City has to establish reasonable rules for the handling, bleeding, cleaning, and storage of sharks and other large fish caught from the Pismo Beach Pier.
Possible measures could include prohibiting caught sharks from being suspended in the ocean to bleed, requiring sharks to be brought completely onto the pier before being processed,
establishing designated areas or procedures for handling large catches, or adopting other reasonable restrictions recommended by the appropriate public safety, marine, wildlife, and environmental authorities.
This does not have to be a choice between fishermen and surfers. People should be able to legally fish from the pier while the City also takes reasonable steps to protect swimmers, surfers, families, tourists, and everyone else enjoying our beaches.
The Pismo Beach Pier is one of the most recognizable and heavily used areas of our community. Our children, families, friends, visitors, fishermen, swimmers, and surfers all share this coastline. I respectfully ask the City Council to review this issue and take appropriate action to ensure that the handling of caught sharks does not create an unnecessary risk to the public.
I would also encourage the City to consult with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, local marine safety personnel, lifeguards, harbor or pier officials, and other appropriate experts to determine what regulations or best practices would appropriately address this situation.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I would appreciate having this concern placed before the appropriate City staff and, if warranted, discussed publicly by the City Council. I am also willing to provide additional information regarding what I have personally observed.
Respectfully,
Edward Maciel II
California Peace Officer
Longtime Pismo Beach Surfer
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