Long Island fisherman arrested after allegedly reeling in a federally protected great white shark and posing for pictures with it

Squaring off with a great white shark is not a decision you should take lightlt, given its dreaded reputation in the ocean. But a fisherman known as the “Long Island Shark Man” allegedly did exactly that last year, and now faces criminal charges after allegedly dragging one onto a Cape Cod beach.

Christopher Stefanou, 30, of Long Island, New York, was arraigned Wednesday in Barnstable Superior Court on charges including animal cruelty, illegal shark fishing, mechanical deployment of bait, attempting to capture a shark, and possession of a protected species shark, according to the Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office.

According to an NBC report, prosecutors allege that in October 2025, Stefanou and his New York-based crew set out on a multi-day expedition along the eastern shore of Cape Cod, accompanied by a European client, to capture a great white shark. They ended up reeling in a shark known as “Aaron the Shark,” a great white that had previously been tagged and closely monitored by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.

Massachusetts has strict regulations on shark fishing

Stefanou has amassed hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers by chronicling his shark fishing excursions, often highlighting his catch-and-release practices while angling off beaches across the United States. Ironically, he presents himself as a conservationist and takes pride in protecting sharks, even partnering with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to support its shark-tagging efforts.

Authorities discovered the illegal activity after Stefanou posted the now-deleted video footage of the capture on social media. The footage showed his crew using prohibited equipment, including a drone, to capture and drag the shark onto the beach, where they celebrated and posed for photos with the animal before releasing it.

According to the district attorney’s office, Massachusetts regulations prohibit shore-based shark fishing with gear intended to lure and capture large fish, including protected white sharks, in most Cape Cod waters. These rules partly protect the public from practices that intentionally attract these species closer to shore.

Great white sharks have been federally protected in the Atlantic Ocean since 1997, and many states have additional laws prohibiting people from hunting them in their waters. Massachusetts is among them, having recently strengthened legislation to further deter anglers from targeting the species. Stefanou’s bail was set at $10,000 during his appearance in Barnstable Superior Court. He was ordered to surrender his fishing license and is barred from entering Massachusetts until his hearing, scheduled for December 11.