A video posted on Youtube Friday showing fisherman hauling a juvenile great white shark out of the water and onto the Huntington Beach pier has authorities investigating foul play.
It’s illegal to capture a great white. And while the video doesn’t show what happens after the fish is hauled out, the footage is disturbing — a rabid crowd jeers as the shark gets pulled up and placed on the pier.
Capturing the shark could net $10,000 in fines for any violator, according to the L.A. Times. Authorities think the video, which has been viewed nearly 5,000 times, was filmed about a week ago.
Juvenile great whites have been a fixture on the beaches of south Los Angeles County and Orange County in recent years. Their rebounding numbers mean increased sightings by swimmers and surfers, and inadvertent catches by fishermen.
Whether or not the fishermen in this video did anything wrong, it’s hard not to feel the animal is treated with a lack of respect and concern for its well-being
