Shark abusers were ‘stupid,’ but didn’t break any laws
There have been some sensationalistic articles in the media regarding the despicable actions of some shark fishermen in their brutal treatment of some of their catch. Should these fishermen have recorded their mistreatment of some of God’s lesser creatures? Obviously, no. But I have never been aware of any “rules of the road” regarding treatment of fish that have been caught.
Are there actually any laws regarding the humane treatment of fish? Routinely, live fish may be clubbed, cut up for bait and beat to a pulp for chumming use.
At this point, the idiots who recorded their actions for all to see should get some grief for being so stupid, but did they break a law? It would appear that this may be much ado about nothing other than a display of male testosterone-fueled bravado gone too far. Unless laws were broken, all media should bury this shark abuse story, no matter where it occurred.
Mike Horning
Bradenton
This story was originally published October 27, 2017 at 1:44 PM with the headline "Shark abusers were ‘stupid,’ but didn’t break any laws."