Alabama could be diving headfirst into uncharted waters, aiming to become the first state in the nation to implement a localized shark alert system.

Spurred by the near-fatal shark attack of Alabama teenager Lulu Gribbin off a Florida beach last summer, one state lawmaker wants to create a system to warn beachgoers when sharks pose an imminent danger.

While federal efforts are led by Alabama’s U.S. Sen. Katie Britt for a nationwide system, state Rep. David Faulkner wants Alabama to lead the charge with a plan tailored for its own coastline.

“It’s something I would hope Alabama will be a leader on and that Florida would just take up,” Faulkner, R-Mountain Brook, said. “We believe that professionals can help determine when a notification is necessary.”

But as Alabama lawmakers push forward, concerns are surfacing from coastal officials and marine scientists who warn that an alert system could create unnecessary fear, potentially impacting tourism and public perception of sharks in their natural habitat.

Initial concerns

Faulkner is working with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources on HB198, which was introduced Feb. 5. The bill will be replaced by a revised version within the next two weeks, Faulkner said. The initial bill stirred pushback in the coastal region.

Under the original HB198, an alert system would be activated whenever there was a report of a shark being spotted close to a shoreline and would be believed to be posing “an imminent danger” to anyone.

“The issue is there are sharks in the water all the time,” said Sean Powers, director of the University of South Alabama’s Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences and a senior marine scientist at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. “How do you get an effective system that warns potential swimmers but then doesn’t just go off all the time, which it would? It might have negative consequences for tourism.”

He added, “Trying to figure out where you can make a system like that informative and not just scare the public and scare tourists is going to be a challenge.”

Melvin Shepherd, chief of staff with the Gulf Shores Fire Rescue, said it’s not uncommon to spot dozens of sharks whenever flying above the beaches aboard a helicopter. But he said shark bite occurrences remain low, and what’s needed is education for the public about sharks.

“Tourists see dolphins and think it’s a shark,” Shepherd said. “We have to have a discussion on the best way to educate people.”

Shark bites are rare, especially in Alabama. According to the International Shark Attack file administered by the Florida Museum of Natural History, there have only been 10 confirmed shark attacks in Alabama waters over the past 187 years. Florida has the most at 942.

“In no way are we lessening the trauma and the injuries of the few people who have been bitten and attacked by sharks,” Powers said. “It’s a life-altering injury in many cases. But trying to find something to balance it and the very, very infrequent occurrences … it’s a tricky thing.”

Gribbin’s attack

Faulkner said a state administered alert system is worth exploring given the facts surrounding Gribbin’s near fatal encounter with a shark off Rosemary Beach in Florida, about 100 miles east of the Alabama state line.

The attack occurred on June 7, 2024, and was less than two hours after another shark attack happened a few miles away.

“Lulu lost her entire right leg and left hand for doing what? For being in 3 feet of water off a beach in Florida,” Faulkner said. “Enough people will say, ‘well, that’s where sharks live.’ But what really got me about Lulu’s attack is that it occurred about an hour before another attack at a different location.”

He isn’t alone in his concerns. In an Op-Ed to AL.com in September, Dr. Ryan Forbess of Orange Beach, who attended to Gribbins after she was attacked, said he was “shocked” to learn there was no alert system to keep beach-goers aware of a shark attack.

Forbess supports Britt’s federal legislation, Lulu’s Law, which aims to create a shark alert system similar to an Amber Alert.

Britt, in a statement to AL.com last week, said she is planning to reintroduce Lulu’s Law during the current congressional term.

“Lulu Gribbin is an inspiration and a model of grit, grace, and faithfulness,” Britt said. “I will continue to fight to get Lulu’s Law enacted into law to help keep beach-going families safe.”

Revising legislation

The details about Alabama’s version could include a mix of system similar to Amber Alerts or revisions to beach flags. Typically, a purple flag flown at Alabama’s beaches warn beachgoers about marine pests found within the waters. Those alerts are commonly associated with jellyfish and stingrays but not sharks or other animals.

In Cape Cod, Mass., a purple flag with a white outline of a shark is flown at all times. Once a shark is spotted, a black flag goes up, which alerts swimmers and beachgoers that sharks are in the water.

Faulkner said he will discuss the details of the revised legislation further once it is released. He said he is hopeful that it will get a hearing in the legislature this spring, and a vote on the House and Senate floors.

“We can’t keep saying, ‘Well, this is where the sharks live,’” Faulkner said. “But is it wrong for us to use our brains and the technology we have today to try to keep people safe? There is no way we can give people 100 percent safety when they get into the waters at our beautiful beaches. But instead of saying ‘you can’t do that so you shouldn’t even try,’ … it’s not the way I think.”

Chris Blankenship, the commissioner of ADCNR, said the idea could include incorporating a new beach flag and phone alert system.

“It would be something on a phone that works with the (emergency management agencies) in Mobile and Baldwin counties that you are geofencing, and it wouldn’t be a statewide or nationwide (alert),” Blankenship said. “We’re working with (Faulkner) on something that will be beneficial to the public.”

The initial legislation did not have any Mobile or Baldwin counties co-sponsor, though Faulkner said it’s likely he will reach out to the coastal delegation for support once the newer version is released.

State Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Josephine, who represents coastal Baldwin County, said he is willing to work with Faulkner and others on the bill, but has concerns similar to Powers and others.

“I have tremendous respect for (Faulkner) and the commissioner, and I see where they are coming from, but I see implementation difficulties,” Elliott said.

Federal protections

Powers, however, said he hopes lawmakers will reach out to him and other marine scientists to assist in crafting an alert system that is effective.

He said the most momentum for shark-related legislation has been with the federal Supporting the Health of Aquatic systems through Research, Knowledge, and Enhanced Dialogue (SHARKED) Act.

That act, which passed the U.S. House in January, establishes a task force to work with fisheries management groups to address problems associated by increased shark depredation – the partial or complete removal of a hooked fish by a shark directly from an angler’s line before the line can be retrieved. The SHARKED Act has the support of sportfishing groups, and coastal conservation agencies.

“We know sharks are increasing in population and that’s by design,” Powers said, alluding to all-time low populations in the 1980s that have been recovering since. “The question is ‘are we there yet?’ as a shark population is rebuilt to where they should be. Is it time for regulations (against) harvesting sharks to relax? There is nothing more demoralizing for a fisherman fighting a 180-pound tuna for two hours to come back with only the head at the end.”