JUNO BEACH, Fla. — As the investigation continues after a great hammerhead shark was found mutilated off the shore of Juno Beach, the Center for Biological Diversity, in partnership with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, is increasing its reward for information leading to an arrest.
Originally set at $1,000, the reward has now been raised to $5,000 for anyone who can provide information.
The 12-foot-long hammerhead was discovered on March 15 near the Juno Beach Pier with its dorsal fin and tail sawed off. Removing a shark’s fin is a federal crime.
“Killing one of our magnificent hammerheads and then brutally hacking off the animal’s fins is gruesome, senseless and terrible for Florida’s coastal ecosystems,” said Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director at the Center. “I firmly believe that someone who has information about this horrific act will step forward and help bring the offender to justice. Floridians don’t mess around when it comes to our precious marine life.”
The great hammerhead shark is listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List. The species has been fished nearly to extinction in the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, with populations declining by more than 50% over the past 70 years.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Wildlife Alert Hotline at (888) 404-3922.
