Two scheduled in court for harvesting tiger shark in state waters

This is one of several photographs circulating on social media from May 1, showing several people posing with a tiger shark in the Chassahowitzka River. The story circulating about the incident on social media is that the tiger shark was dragged behind a boat, about four miles upriver into the springs, where photos were taken with the shark, which was then harvested for food, but this was not confirmed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). According to several posts, the man in this photo was not involved in the harvesting of the shark; he just posed for a photo with it.

Karen Parker, a Public Information Officer with the FWC, had this to say about the incident, "The FWC is aware of the incident that took place over the weekend on the Chassahowitzka River involving a tiger shark. The FWC takes this very seriously and is grateful to everyone who reported this incident. Tiger sharks are prohibited from harvest in state waters. FWC law enforcement officers have investigated this incident and have issued a Notice to Appear, to two individuals, for taking a prohibited species of shark. The two subjects currently have a Citrus County court date."

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922 or Tip@MyFWC.com; those with a tip may remain anonymous.

Information regarding the shark fishing can be found here: myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/sharks.