Oregon Man Faces Charges for Illegal Shark Fishing

An Oregon man, Connor Seifert, 27, is facing charges for allegedly catching and wrestling protected sharks in Puget Sound. The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife released body camera footage of an officer confronting Seifert in June in Pierce County, Washington.

The officer informed Seifert, “You know your shark rules. You can’t fully or partially remove sixgill from the water.” The officer continued, “When you wrestle a sixgill to shore like that, you hop on its back, you expose its gills to the air. Puget Sound is a nursery for these sharks. Catching them in this stage in their lives can lead to the mortality of the pups inside the moms.” He added, “Once they exhaust themselves being fought to shore, their babies die. Soon, you won’t have sixgill and sevengill returning to Puget Sound.”

The surveillance of Seifert began after months of tracking his activities and online posts. Officers eventually caught him making an illegal catch. Allegedly, he posted a video sitting on a shark’s back, holding its mouth open.

Seifert is charged with nine counts of unlawful recreational fishing in the second degree and one count of making a false or misleading statement to a public servant. These charges carry penalties that can include fines and jail time.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife stated that fishing for sixgill and sevengill sharks is illegal. Officers are noticing more online posts showing unlawful treatment of these sharks. Seifert claimed the sharks were caught accidentally, though evidence suggests otherwise.

The department has received 14 complaints about Seifert, mainly for allegedly targeting the sharks. Puget Sound acts as a nursery for sixgill and sevengill sharks before they venture into the ocean, making it crucial to protect them locally.

Both shark species are listed as “Species of Greatest Conservation Need” in Washington State. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies bluntnose sixgills as “near threatened” and broadnose sevengills as “vulnerable.”