Watch out for sharks in the water and on land. Tagged shark No. 415046 became beached on the early evening of April 16 just about half a mile south of the Bridge to Nowhere parking area on Pea Island, according to a Facebook post by Wes Snyder Photography.

Snyder’s initial post stated he called the marine mammal rescue phone number in hopes to help the beached female sandbar shark. In a later post, he alerted people that the estimated 6-foot shark had died.

“The shark passed away in front of us. Blood was coming out of the gills and mouth and we were told to not try and rescue it. We reported it to NOAA, and they were coming out to inspect it and collect the tag,” Snyder said.

It has not been confirmed what organization tagged the beached shark.

There are multiple shark tracking programs, such as OSEARCH, which track turtles, sharks and dolphins in real time, according to its website.  

“As always, if you see a stranded marine mammal or sea turtle, keep people and pets back a safe distance of 50 yards (150 feet),” the NOAA website warns.

As the tourist season approaches, beach goers are advised to contact one of the stranded marine life networks which line the coast, if they discover beached marine life.