Wrong hook

Two women responsible for cleaning a pond in Hong Kong are facing animal cruelty charges after allegedly doing a sloppy job.

Foreman Szeto Fung-ling, 52, and property officer Leung Kit-ying, 54, placed the fish in a plastic container while cleaning the pond at the Tseung Kwan O public housing estate on 26 January, The Standard (TS) reported.

The container, however, was unsuitable for holding the pond’s 196 fish and four turtles. As a result, 114 fish died, according to TS.

A court has heard the case and scheduled the next hearing for October.

Meanwhile, wildlife police in Washington state are taking an equally tough approach to illegal fishing.

After receiving multiple complaints about a man catching sixgill sharks in Puget Sound, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police (DFWP) launched an investigation.

The complaints against Connor Seifert stemmed from Facebook posts showing him wrestling with sharks he had hooked, including sixgills and sevengills, which are illegal to catch in the state.

On 13 June, a DFWP officer caught Seifert holding a sixgill shark at a pier and arrested him.

The 27-year-old resident of St. Helens, Oregon, was charged with nine counts of unlawful recreational fishing in the second degree and one count of making a false statement to a public servant, The News Tribune (NT) reported.

Seifert disputed the allegations, telling NT that he had accidentally reeled in a sevengill — not a sixgill — shark and was trying to untangle and release it.

Asked why he wrestled sharks in shallow water, Seifert told NT it was the safest way for both the animal and himself while removing the hook or fishing line.

“They’re incredibly difficult to handle, especially when they’re in the water. So getting them into shallower water makes it easier both on the handler and the animal to be released safely,” Seifert said, according to NT.