NEAR KEY LARGO, Fla. (WSVN) — A U.S. Coast Guard crew confiscated dismembered sharks and fins from a commercial fishing boat near Key Largo.
The Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, and Florida Fish and Wildlife COnservation Commission seized 11 shark fins and dismembered sharks from the 40-foot commercial fishing vessel.
Federal law prohibits the act of shark finning, a process of removing shark fins at sea and discarding the rest of the shark, according to the Coast Guard. The operator of the vessel has been charged with failure to maintain a shark in its proper form.
The shark fins will be sent to a laboratory for testing; the operator could also face further charges for possession of a prohibited species.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.