Being a predator, the sandbar shark prefers fresh fish such as sardines, shad, menhaden anchovies, eels, barracuda, mackerel, groupers, croakers, flounders, skates, stingrays, squid, shrimp, crabs, mollusks and other smaller sharks. Although large, common in human swimming areas, and having adequate teeth, the sandbar shark has never been incriminated in a human attack. Sandbar sharks do not have many natural enemies. Although pups are sometimes preyed upon by tiger sharks and adults by great whites, the most common and potentially dangerous predators are humans. Due to the fact that it takes 3 to 13 years for these sharks to mature and that they can only reproduce every other year, their populations can be easily over fished to dangerous low levels.
Recreational fishing does little damage compared to commercial fisheries.
These pose the greatest threat, trying to fulfill the demand for meat for human consumption, hides for leather, and livers for vitamin rich oils. Abundances of adolescent and adult sandbar sharks in Virginia have declined dramatically by nearly two-thirds, highlighting the need for effective fishing management.