Experts pointed shark fishing as a possible reason for the striking increase in shark attacks off the coast of North Carolina. The fishing is permitted on North Carolina beaches and piers, but it has been banned at several other popular beach destinations along the East Coast.

Experts said several of the recent attacks, including the one that took place on Friday in which shark attacked a 47-year-old father as he scrambled to get children out of the water, and two attacks on June 14 have occurred in close proximity to fishing piers.

It has been said that there are calls in parts of North Carolina for the practice to be banned, at least temporarily during times of high beach traffic such as July fourth weekend.

Marie Levine, executive director of the Shark Research Institute, told ABC News that they have noted the possibility of shark attacks increases during the summer, not because there are more sharks, but because there are more people in the water.

However, the director of the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, Louis Daniel, said he does not think that fishing should be blamed for whatever is happening. He even disputed the critics’ claims and believes that shark population has increased since commercial shark fishing was outlawed.

Daniel said he has heard the recent calls to ban fishing on North Carolina beaches but he said that he so far has no plans to take action on the matter.

According to officials, a teenage boy is the latest victim of a shark attack in North Carolina. It is the second such incident in recent days and sixth attack over the last couple of weeks.

Authorities visited the 17-year-old boy, who suffered injuries to his right leg, buttocks and both hands while he was swimming on the Outer Banks on Saturday.

The boy received treatment at the scene before he was airlifted to a hospital in Norfolk, Va. for further care. The teenager was brought to the hospital in critical condition, but his condition has since then improved, according to the Associated Press.