Man Accused of Filming Himself Wrestling Sharks Is Arrested

A Washington state fisherman has been arrested after allegedly dragging protected sharks out of the water and filming himself wrestling them. Connor Seifert was charged with nine counts of unlawful fishing and one gross misdemeanor after a monthslong investigation. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said it had received 14 complaints about Seifert. “Many people were notifying us, like, ‘Hey, this person is doing this,’” said Lt. Kit Rosenberger with Washington State Fish and Wildlife Police. “Targeting these sharks, catching them, mishandling them, dragging them out of the water, wrestling with them.” Seifert posted the illegal catches of sixgill and sevengill sharks to his social media accounts. He was caught in the act by officers in June in South Puget Sound, allegedly pulling a sixgill shark out of the water for a photo op. According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, sixgill and sevengill sharks are both classified as a “Species of Greatest Conservation Need.”

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