Great White Sharks Illegally Killed And Mutilated On CA Beaches
LOS ANGELES, CA — Beachgoers in Southern California have recently stumbled across gruesome scenes — great white sharks with their heads and fins cut off. The mutilated carcasses are the remnants of illegal shark fishing, something state wildlife officials have long battled across the state.
Great white sharks are protected in California waters, and if California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials catch the culprits, they face up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
In August, wildlife photographer and YouTube content creator Carlos Gauna received a video from a person who stumbled upon a fisherman who had caught and killed two white sharks. Gauna said in the video he was sent, he could hear the fisherman say he caught seven sharks at that location.
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Gauna said he visited the area in Los Angeles County where the fisherman was seen with the shark this month and found another shark with its head severed and its fins cut off. This isn’t the only time Gauna has seen something like this, he told Patch. He’s reported a handful of dead white sharks to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Gauna, who has amassed an international following online for his drone footage of great white sharks in the shallows along California’s coast, has had to stop sharing the locations where he shoots in order to prevent more illegal hunting.
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“Unfortunately I’m not going to be sharing locations of sharks in the future on social media because of this. The fact of the matter is that there are sharks that are being caught at these locations,” Gauna said.
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Stopping the illegal hunting of great whites isn’t just about protecting the species, it can be a matter of life and death for swimmers and surfers, too.
In 2014, an open-water swimmer was bitten by a great white shark that had just been caught and released on the Manhattan Beach Pier. He survived, but the incident caused an uproar over the practice of fishing for sharks near swimmers and surfers.
Fishermen hunt sharks for their meat, internal organs, skin and fins that are used to make shark fin soup, medicines, lubricants and leather, according to the National Ocean Service.
Fishing for white sharks has been problematic along the California coast for years, Patrick Foy, Captain of the Law Enforcement Division of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told Patch. Wildlife Officer Clark McLennan said the ish and wildlife department gets reports of illegal white shark fishing all over the state.
“Every tip we get we take very seriously and investigate,” McLennan said.
It’s long been illegal to fish for white sharks in California, but a law that took effect last year curtailed some dangerous shark hunting activities.
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In the state of California, it is illegal to actively fish for white sharks per Fish and Game Code 5517, which went into effect in January 2023. Foy said since the law was tightened up, law enforcement has noticed some improvement.
“I believe we have seen some improvement since the law went into effect and public education about the law,” Foy said. “Wildlife officers are aware of it and monitor for anglers who appear to be targeting white sharks as part of normal patrol along our coastline.”
Under FGC5517 it is illegal to:
Shark bait, chum, and natural or manufactured devices used to attract sharks by sense of taste, smell or sight are considered shark lures. This includes, but is not limited to, blood, fish, other materials that sharks feed on as well as decoys.
Anyone who believes they have witnessed a shark poaching incident was urged to call Californians Turn In Poachers and Polluters (CALTIP) at 888-334-2258. Anonymous tips may be submitted by texting CALTIP to 847411.
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