FWC recommends charges against man seen beating shark on video
By WESH News Staff
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INDIAN HARBOUR BEACH, Florida (WESH) — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has recommended charges against a man seen on video beating a shark with a hammer.
According to an FWC spokesperson, the agency is recommending two misdemeanors against the man based on their investigation.
The State Attorney’s Office will determine if any charges are filed. WESH is not naming the man because he has not been charged yet.
The disturbing video was taken on Dec. 20 from the Harbour House Oceanfront surf cam in Indian Harbour Beach. The clip shows a fisherman who caught what appeared to be a five-foot shark and clubbed it to death with a hammer, then tossed it back into the ocean.
Witnesses called in the incident, and that’s when FWC began their investigation. In an email from December, FWC said it “responded to witness reports and video evidence of an individual striking a shark with a hammer” and that the agency takes “potential resource violations seriously and is currently investigating this incident.”
The shocking video stirred an outcry in the Brevard County coastal community. The local government is taking measures to prevent it from happening again. Proposed revisions to city ordinances will expand the no-fishing areas around the two beach parks in Indian Harbour Beach. And it’ll include a civil fine in addition to the existing misdemeanor.
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