Bull sharks in the Ohio River? What we found when we investigated the rumor

As the Ohio River reached near-record-setting flood levels recently, a recurrent rumor surfaced about the alleged danger of bull sharks in its waters. The theory? That bull sharks swim up the Mississippi River from the Gulf of Mexico and occasionally troll the waters.

If the idea of sharks in the river fuels your “Jaws”-inspired fear, you can exhale now.

“The likelihood of encountering a bull shark in the Ohio River, particularly in Kentucky, is zero,” Chris Plante, animal care director at the Newport Aquarium, said in a statement to The Enquirer.

That makes sense considering exactly how far a shark would have to swim to make its way into Kentucky. The Ohio River connects with the Mississippi River about 350-driving-miles south west in Cairo, Illinois – and the river twists and winds its way there through dams built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Calling bull on bull shark lore

When the Ohio River finally meets with the Mississippi, it’s then still about 1,000 miles from the Gulf of Mexico.

In fact, there have only been two semi-confirmed reports of a bull shark making its way into the Midwest on its own.

The first alleges that a fisherman caught a bull shark in Alton, Illinois in 1937. But a reporter at the The Telegraph in Alton debunked that theory by spilling some family lore in 2021. He wrote that, according to family legend, the notorious prankster who said he caught the shark actually bought it at a St. Louis fish market.

In 1995, a bull shark was allegedly caught in a grate south of Festus, Missouri. It’s a bit more difficult to track down where that claim originated from.

What about bull shark pets?

Now, aside from swimming up the river, is it possible people release sharks into the Ohio River?

That sounds strange but strange things happen.

In Michigan, for instance, where pet alligators are legal unless municipalities create their own restrictions, escaped alligators are found in rivers, yards, and even a hotel room just last month, the Detroit Free Press reported.

In Ohio, permits are required for alligator ownership and two were spotted in a river back in 2023. An Ohio Division of Wildlife officer killed one of them, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

According to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, there aren’t any regulations against bull shark ownership in Kentucky and the species isn’t federally protected.

But considering that bull shark pups can be around 3 feet long and adults top out around 13 feet, it seems unlikely the average person could have a bull shark in captivity for long and much less so transport a live one to the Ohio River for dumping.

Have you ever seen a shark in the Ohio River? Can you prove it? Send an email to Northern Kentucky Reporter Jolene Almendarez with more information. She can be reached at jolenea@gannett.com.