Video of dead pregnant hammerhead shark moves netizens in the USA

A controversial video, shot in Florida, United States, and posted on YouTube, has been causing a stir among netizens since early June. With over 600, 000 views to date, the footage shows a pregnant female hammerhead shark who was eventually caught by a Phoenix-named sport fishing vessel.

The video was taken by a vacationer in Dustin, where the incident occurred, and records the withdrawal of 34 baby sharks from one of the boat's crew members. Both the mother, 4 meters long, and the pups died after the capture.

According to the Earth Touch News (ETN) website, the Phoenix boat group claimed through their Facebook page that the capture was accidental and there was no intention to kill the shark. The suspicion of the team is that the shark died “due to the strong stress loads” to which he was subjected when he was captured. The fishermen defended themselves saying that there are already several reports of cases of death of this species under these conditions. The group's Facebook page appears to have been taken down as the post link is no longer available.

Still according to the site, Florida laws prohibit any shark from being caught, even if it ends up dying during sport fishing. However, the laws apply only to state oceanic regions, and as this capture took place in federal waters, there are no punishments against those responsible.

In the YouTube post, video author Jeff Bratcher received some criticism and regretted the fact, reiterating that he was enjoying the vacation there and had nothing to do with it. He claimed to have recorded the time for the complaint to reach as many people as possible and to raise awareness of the illegality of this practice.

Via InSummary.