OUTER BANKS, NC -- Fishermen in the Outer Banks are reeling in fish after fish this summer and most of those fish are bitten in half by sharks, WTKR reports.
"It's really heart wrenching when you catch a $1,000 fish, and you can't get it to the boat. It's nothing but a chunk of mangled up meat," fisherman Glen Hopkins said.
It has been a problem for off-shore fisherman for weeks.
"At least 2/3 of your catch is going to be eaten before it ever gets to the boat. The sharks have gotten to the point where they are just following the boat," another fisherman, Britton Shackelford said.
Lately in the Outer Banks, sharks are all people are talking about after there have been three attacks in the last week. Plus, videos of sharks in the Outer Banks have been popping up online.
Shackelford said he sometimes sees thousands of sharks when he fishes.
The fishermen said strict shark fishing laws that went into effect years ago are part of the problem. Now, the sharks are overpopulated.
All those sharks are now the fishermen's competition.
"Some sets we don't get a fish back. We might catch 25 or 30 heads. Pieces where everything is gone. It's literally costing thousands and thousands out of my pocket," Hopkins said.
