Illegal Shark Waste Scandal Unfolds At Texas Beach

It wasn't Shark Week, yet some beachgoer decided to have an illegal shark fest at Padre Island National Seashore- which is about a 240-mile drive south from Houston.

If Shark Week has taught us anything it's that in Texas it is perfectly legal to fish for and harvest shark. However, it is unlawful to leave shark or bait fish taken from public waters to die without the intent to retain the fish for consumption or bait.

Someone didn't get the memo because in August, authorities with the Padre Island National Seashore NPS law enforcement and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department cited an individual for "waste of fish" when they discovered a a decapitated tiger shark and bull shark, a deceased and mutilated sting ray and approximately 15 mostly intact deceased crabs.

Authorities with the NPS and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department identified a suspect who they said eventually “confessed to decapitating the sharks, harvesting some meat, and leaving the shark bodies on the beach to be scavenged and rot."

This resulted in the individual being issued multiple citations for "waste of fish". The TPWD is seeking restitution for the monetary value of the sharks, authorities said.

Which seems like a happy ending, however, many feel like citations were not enough of a punishment for the individual.

One concerned individual wrote:

The individual should have their fishing license revoked, and do public service work cleaning the beach. This is a display of total disregard for the law and wildlife.

No doubt that this was a terrible thing done by a terrible person, but many gave praise to the authorities for the work done. Authorities are advising anyone who witnesses a wildlife crime in Texas to call the TPWD Operation Game Thief hotline at 1-800-792-GAME (4263). And for more information about fishing at Padre Island National Seashore, to visit their website.