Wildlife officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are investigating a person who was filmed beating a shark with a hammer after which dragging it into the surf. The video footage was recorded on Dec. 20 by Harbour House Oceanfront’s “surfcam”, which publicly broadcasts stay footage of the ocean circumstances on Indian Harbor Beach. A witness shared the video with FOX-35 Orlando later that afternoon.
According to at least one worker at Harbour House, which is primarily a marriage venue, the witness who shared the video is likely one of the venue’s house owners. The worker defined {that a} member of the general public was watching the surfcam on-line yesterday and referred to as the venue to inform them of what was occurring round 3 p.m., in keeping with the video’s timestamp. Someone at Harbour House then recorded the stay video feed whereas panning and zooming the digital camera to give attention to the brutal scene.
At the start of the video, the fisherman is alone on the seashore with the shark on its aspect at his ft. He drives the claw of a hammer into the shark’s gills whereas he seems to unhook it, after which he drags it a brief distance throughout the sand, the place he’s joined on the seashore by an unknown male onlooker.
The shark seems to be useless by the video’s midway mark, at which level the fisherman flips it onto its stomach. He beats the shark with the hammer, whacking it over the pinnacle no less than 10 occasions. The video then cuts to the person dragging the lifeless shark into the surf. The waves maintain washing the shark’s physique onto the shore, which forces the person to tug it again into the water a couple of extra occasions earlier than the shark disappears and the video ends.
According to FOX-35, the witness mentioned the shark within the video is a Lemon shark. The information outlet was unable to verify this element, however if so, then the person would have damaged the legislation by catching and killing the fish. Lemon sharks are on the FWC’s “prohibited sharks” listing, which implies that if a sport fisherman does catch one among these species, it “must be released without delay when fishing from the shore.”
Even if it seems the shark was not a protected species, it’s unlawful to deliberately kill a shark after which launch it. The FWC has listing of pointers for seashore anglers fishing for sharks (the rules don’t embody utilizing a hammer):
- Minimize struggle time. Use Shark-Smart deal with.
- Do not particularly goal sharks if the surf is simply too tough to launch appropriately and safely.
- Keep sharks, particularly the gills, within the water.
- Removing sharks from the water can enhance the probability of accidents to the shark.
- NEVER deliver a big shark onto a fishing vessel, a pier or bridge or onto dry land past the surf zone until you intend to reap it.
- Minimize dealing with and launch time and don’t delay launch simply to take photos.
The man within the video has since been recognized by FWC investigators, and he may additionally face extra fees below Florida’s Cruelty to Animals statute.
“Investigators have identified the individual in the video and would like to thank the public for their assistance,” FWC public data officer Ashlee Sklute defined in an emailed assertion. “Per normal protocol, while this investigation is ongoing, the agency will not confirm the identity of the individual involved.”