An Oregon resident is charged with illegally capturing and wrestling protected shark species in Puget Sound.
Body‑camera footage from a June encounter shows an officer confronting the 27‑year‑old, explaining that removing sixgill and sevengill sharks from the water can kill the animals and their pups.
The officer emphasized that Puget Sound serves as a nursery for these species and that catching them during this vulnerable period threatens their survival.
After months of monitoring the man's movements and online posts, law enforcement set up surveillance that captured him making an illegal catch.
The defendant faces nine counts of second‑degree unlawful recreational fishing and one count of providing a false statement to a public servant.
Misdemeanor charges carry up to a $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail, while the gross misdemeanor can result in a $5,000 fine and up to one year in prison.
The man claimed accidental capture, yet videos posted to social media displayed him holding a shark’s mouth open and restraining it on the shore.
Law enforcement received fourteen complaints regarding his alleged targeting of the protected species.
