Man accused of illegally 'wrestling' protected sharks in Washington state after months-long investigation

An Oregon antheral is facing charges for allegedly illegally catching and "wrestling" protected bluntnose sixgill and broadnose sevengill sharks successful Puget Sound.

The Washington authorities Department of Fish and Wildlife precocious shared assemblage camera footage of an serviceman confronting Connor Seifert, 27, successful June successful Pierce County, Washington.

"You cognize your shark rules," the serviceman could beryllium heard connected the video telling Seifert. "You can’t afloat oregon partially region sixgill from the water. 

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A inactive of a video shared by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife that the fishy allegedly posted of a shark being held by its tail. (WDFW)

"When you wrestle a sixgill to enactment similar that, you hop connected its back, you exposure its gills to the air," the serviceman continued. "You cognize arsenic good arsenic anybody other does that Puget Sound is simply a nursery for these sharks. There has been a nonstop correlation betwixt catching these sharks successful this signifier successful their lives and the mortality of the pups wrong the moms."

He added, "Once they exhaust themselves being fought to shore, past each of their babies die. And then, sooner than you cognize it, you’re not going to person sixgill and sevengill returning to Puget Sound anymore."

This came aft months of pursuing Seifert’s movements and his online posts, with officers yet mounting up surveillance truthful they could drawback him making an amerciable catch.

A inactive the fishy allegedly posted connected societal media of him sitting connected a shark's backmost and holding its rima open. (WDFW)

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He has been charged successful Pierce County with 9 counts of unlawful recreational sportfishing successful the 2nd grade and 1 number of making a mendacious oregon misleading connection to a nationalist servant. The archetypal is simply a misdemeanor and the 2nd is simply a gross misdemeanor.

Misdemeanors transportation up to a $1,000 good and 90 days successful jailhouse if recovered blameworthy and gross demeanors transportation up to a $5,000 good and a twelvemonth successful jail.

A broadnose sevengill shark. (Anadolu via Getty Images, File)

"Fishing for sixgill and sevengill sharks is unlawful, and unfortunately, officers are seeing a increasing fig of online posts showing these sharks targeted and past unlawfully removed from oregon partially removed from the water," the section said successful a station astir Seifert’s charges.

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Seifert claimed that helium hadn’t been targeting the sharks and that helium had accidentally caught them, but videos helium posted to societal media that allegedly showed him holding a shark’s rima open, portion sitting connected its backmost and holding it by its process connected the enactment portion it attempted to get distant overgarment different picture.

The section said it has gotten 14 complaints astir Seifert, chiefly connected to his allegedly targeting the sharks.

A Washington State ferry crosses the Puget Sound toward Seattle. (Corbis via Getty Images)

"Puget Sound acts similar a nursey for sixgill and sevengill sharks earlier they caput retired to the ocean, the section said.

The section added, "This is 1 of the superior reasons wherefore it is unlawful to people these sharks locally, arsenic the anglers sportfishing for these creatures are targeting them during a highly volatile epoch successful the animals' lives."

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Both shark taxon are listed arsenic "Species of Greatest Conservation Need" successful Washington State.

Bluntnose sixgills are categorized arsenic "near threatened" and broadnose sevengills are "vulnerable," according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.