🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
Two men have sparked controversy after they were filmed dragging a shark across a Florida beach and killing it with a knife.
The footage has been widely shared online after it was captured on Friday, August 19, by witness Mariana Sabogal who confronted the two men as they were pulling the shark by its tail across the sand on New Smyrna Beach.
"Can you please put it back?" Sabogal asked at the start of the video. "You should not be doing that with animals."
WARNING: The video embedded below contains images that some viewers may find disturbing.
Sabogal again asked that the men not harm the animal when one of them retrieved a knife. One of them responded: "This is a legal harvest."
Afterwards, one of the men sunk a knife into the shark's head, causing it to thrash around on the sand.
"Are you enjoying this?," Sabogal asked. "Me? No, I'm taking it to eat and feed my family," the man with the knife replied.
The man removed the knife from the shark's head, which then appeared to lie still while Sabogal and the two men debated. Around 20 seconds later, one of the men again sunk the knife into the shark's head, causing it to thrash once more. At this point the video came to an end.
The footage has been seen thousands of times after it was shared online by Sabogal as well as by TV journalist Louis Aguirre who was critical of the two men.
THE WORST OF HUMANITY ON FULL DISPLAY. Anyone recognize these guys? Please DM & share. We need more shark awareness, education, & strict enforcement to punish this type of behavior. @MyFWC @NOAA #fwc #newsymrnabeach #protectsharks #Florida #savesharks pic.twitter.com/yb2jLqujlB
— Louis Aguirre (@LOUISAGUIRRE) August 20, 2022
In a statement to Florida news station WESH 2, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said it was aware of the video and did not consider any state laws to have been violated.
"It is common practice for anglers to euthanize sharks after landing for ethical and safety concerns," the FWC said. "This video is not currently under investigation as no violation of state law regarding the method of harvest occurred."
Despite the FWC's consideration that the killing was lawful, Sabogal told Newsweek: "It is outrageous and hope awareness helps to shape up the laws to protect sharks."
Hunting and killing sharks is legal in Florida if people possess a permit to do so, though there are prohibitions regarding certain species and catch methods. There is also a limit of one shark per person per day and two sharks per vessel.
Shark hunting in Florida had already proved controversial this year when wildlife activists and concerned members of the public criticized plans for a shark-hunting tournament arranged by local fishermen back in July.
A Change.org petition calling for its cancellation received tens of thousands of signatures, though the tournament went ahead. The petition has since changed its goal to change state laws to prevent shark-killing tournaments altogether.
The clip sparked controversy on Twitter with many arguing the men's actions amounted to cruelty. "Anyone who isn't moved by the needless suffering of this shark needs to have their head and heart examined," wrote Louis Aguirre.
"Spinner sharks, if that's what it is, are such a cool thing to see. IUCN [International Union for Conservation of Nature] classifies them as 'near threatened' and vulnerable along the SE U.S. coast," wrote one viewer.
The IUCN Red List has listed the spinner shark as vulnerable since 2020, a more concerning assessment than when it was classified as "near-threatened" in 2009.
Another viewer argued: "Whilst the behaviour is idiotic the impact of it is no worse than eating animals … if you care you have to be vegan. Otherwise it is hypocrisy."
