FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — People living in Fernandina Beach are worried that one of the two upcoming beach renourishment projects on Amelia Island will remove the shark teeth they hunt for in the sand.
The city made a Facebook post responding to worries from neighbors about a piece of equipment funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that will be used to dredge the Kings Bay channel north of Fort Clinch.
The city tells Action News Jax the device is called an “extractor,” which uses a series of screens to sift through the sand and pick up large objects and has been used in other Florida beach renourishment projects. The city says anything smaller than two inches by two inches will fall through the screens and back into the sand, but local shark teeth collectors worry it’ll take away what they go to the beach to hunt for.
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“People are going to miss out on finding a lot of really great teeth,” said Kimberly Gaspar, who’s been collecting shark teeth for 50 years. She runs Amelia Shark Tooth Adventures, which gives tours along Amelia Island to those looking to learn about shark teeth and where to find them.
“I’m just worried this is going to take away some of the bigger teeth,” Gaspar said. “Some shark teeth are four to five inches long.”
The city says the extractor equipment is being used to collect dangerous items and materials on the shore and in the sand and get them off the beach. Gaspar wants beach crews to be mindful of what the equipment picks up.
“If they see any teeth, I want them to put them back. People enjoy finding them, they learn a lot from them,” said Gaspar.
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Action News Jax’s Finn Carlin asked Fernandina Beach if beach crews would return any shark teeth collected by the extractor back to the beach. This was the city’s response:
“Any material caught by the screens will be sorted into baskets for inspection by the Contractor’s personnel. All hazardous material will be removed from the beach and properly disposed of offsite. Any organic material (teeth, shells, and fossils) will be blended back into the sand and deposited on the beach.”
The city says crews will start getting equipment ready for the Kings Bay renourishment project on Dec. 15. They’re expected to start working on the beach sometime in January.
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