Possible catch of great white shark at Huntington Beach Pier brings state investigation
A video showing what appears to be fishermen reeling in a juvenile great white shark and pulling it onto the Huntington Beach Pier has prompted an investigation by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, authorities said Monday.
The video, which has received nearly 300 views on YouTube since it was posted Friday, shows anglers pulling a shark onto the pier as a crowd of people with cameras gathers to watch. It appears to be a small great white.
Capturing a great white shark, which has been a protected species off California’s coast since 1994, is illegal and can result in fines of up to $10,000, according to state authorities.
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The video shows the crowd cheering as the anglers lift the shark onto the pier. Some observers inch closer as the shark flops onto the concrete.
“Hey, take a picture fast,” one man yells.
Lifeguards said the catch wasn’t reported immediately, but they estimate the video was shot after 5 p.m. either Feb. 20 or 21, said Huntington Beach Marine Safety Lt. Eric Dieterman.
Someone brought the video to lifeguards’ attention, and they contacted the Department of Fish and Wildlife, which started an investigation.
It isn’t clear what happened to the shark after the video ended, but lifeguards believe it was released back into the ocean.
The incident was the latest of several in recent weeks involving great white sharks off Huntington Beach.
On Friday, a two-mile stretch of ocean at Sunset Beach and Bolsa Chica State Beach was closed after a roughly 12-foot great white was seen by a police helicopter crew.
Also last week, anglers unknowingly reeled in a roughly 8-foot great white shark on the shore at Sunset Beach but returned it when they realized what they had caught.
On Feb. 14, a fisherman hooked what appeared to be a juvenile great white off the end of the Huntington Beach Pier, but the angler’s line broke and the shark swam away.
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Hannah Fry, hannah.fry@latimes.com
Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
