By Pete Thomas
An angler who caught and killed a great white shark Jan. 5 on Oceanside Pier was sentenced Friday to three years probation and fined $250.
Bodi Dee Roberts, 21, also was banned from the popular fishing pier in north San Diego County.
Roberts caught the juvenile shark from the pier and was confronted by angry bystanders as he left with the carcass, according to 10 News San Diego.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife officers eventually confronted Roberts and seized the shark.
Great white sharks are protected by state and federal regulations off California. According to the CDFW, “It is illegal to catch, pursue, hunt, capture or kill a white shark, which includes intentionally attracting white sharks with bait or other methods.”
According to the Tracking Sharks blog, a witness said the 6-foot shark was initially identified by Roberts as a mako shark, and that it was gaffed and pulled onto the pier by several people. Catching mako sharks is legal.
Roberts was charged with one misdemeanor count of the unlawful catch of a protected species. He could have been fined up to $1,000.
According to 10 News San Diego, Roberts had also faced misdemeanor counts of unlawful possession of game, deterioration and waste of a fish, and destroying or concealing documentary evidence.
Roberts is allowed to continue fishing elsewhere, as long as he stays within the law.
–Juvenile white shark image credit: ©Pete Thomas
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