Suspect charged with fish waste for beheading sharks at PINS

• On Tuesday, Padre Island National Seashore (PINS) announced that charges have been filed against a suspect for decapitating a tiger and a bull shark and leaving the bodies on PINS beach in early August.
• Law enforcement agencies from the Padre Island National Seashore National Park Service (NPS) and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) resulted in a suspect being charged with the crime of “wasting fish.”
• It is illegal to allow sharks or bait fish taken from the water to die without the intention of using them for consumption or as bait.
• The suspects in this case face criminal fines and civil restitution penalties.

On Tuesday, Padre Island National Seashore (PINS) announced that one or more suspects have been charged for cutting off the heads of a tiger shark and a bull shark in early August and leaving the animals' carcasses on PINS beach. Wildlife officials did not specify whether one or more suspects have been charged. These actions are illegal and are considered “wasting fish.” It is not legal to allow sharks or bait fish taken from the water to die without the intent of using the fish for consumption or as bait.

“So I was actually there the weekend it happened. You know, it struck a chord with me and some of my colleagues. Simply because, like I said, we visit this beach quite often, especially in the summer,” said Rome Fuentes, a PINS visitor and avid shark fisherman.

Law enforcement agencies from the Padre Island National Seashore NPS and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) worked together to locate the suspect(s) in the case.

“Apparently a couple of people caught a couple of sharks, a tiger shark and a bull shark. They cut the heads off the sharks, decapitated them and left the rest of the fish there,” said Capt. Ben Baker, Texas Parks and Wildlife ranger.

Violations of this type of crime may be punishable by criminal fines and civil compensation claims.

“So we remind all of our anglers and all people, all park visitors, to call us if they see something like this and our anglers say that's a violation, one violation per fish. So there are two different aspects. We have the criminal side, which can result in a fine of up to $500. And then there's the civil restitution. And that civil restitution could be thousands and thousands of dollars that the state of Texas is entitled to,” said Captain Baker. “And that civil restitution is based on the species and the size of the individual. So in this particular case, the tiger shark and the bull shark, individuals are going to pay thousands and thousands of dollars in restitution, in addition to the criminal fines.”

One reason someone might have decapitated the sharks and left them to die is to get to the jaws.

“With sharks, we see that they are particularly after the jaws. And that is why they unfortunately leave the fish unused. They want the jaws as a trophy,” said Captain Baker.

Hundreds of people expressed their feelings about the crime on the Padre Island National Seashore's Facebook post. Many neighbors were happy that the suspects will now face consequences.

“My first thought was that it was definitely not someone from our community. It had to be someone who had recently started shark fishing from the mainland,” Fuentes said.

According to Padre Island National Seashore NPS Police, if you witness a wildlife crime, call the TPWD Operation Game Thief (OGT) hotline at 1-800-792-GAME (4263). Rewards of up to $1,000 are offered for information leading to the conviction of a wildlife crime.

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