Washington cops arrest man for protected shark fishing. Once he got them to land, he wrestled them: ‘all of their babies die’

A 27-year-old Oregon man now faces criminal charges after Washington wildlife officers accused him of repeatedly targeting protected sharks in Puget Sound, hauling them ashore, and filming himself wrestling the animals before posting the videos online. According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), Connor Seifert allegedly targeted bluntnose sixgill sharks and broadnose sevengill sharks, two species that anglers cannot legally fish for in Washington’s marine waters. WDFW announced the case after a months-long investigation that officers said began when they received at least 14 complaints about Seifert’s activities.

After receiving the complaints, investigators said they monitored Seifert’s fishing trips, reviewed videos from his social media accounts, and eventually contacted him after observing his conduct firsthand near the Fox Island fishing pier in Pierce County. Prosecutors allege he repeatedly removed protected sharks from the water, dragged them by their tails, and wrestled with them after landing them.

Body camera footage released by WDFW shows an officer confronting Seifert during the investigation. In the video shared by the agency, the officer explains why the encounters can harm the shark population.

Sixgills and sevengills return to Puget Sound to breed

WDFW says those protections exist because sixgill and sevengill sharks use Puget Sound as an important nursery area. State regulations prohibit directed fishing for bluntnose sixgill sharks throughout Washington waters, and anglers who accidentally catch one must release it without removing it from the water. The agency also classifies the bluntnose sixgill as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need.

“Once they exhaust themselves being fought to shore, then all of their babies die,” the officer says in the video released by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police. “And then, sooner than you know it, you’re not going to have sixgill and sevengill returning to Puget Sound anymore.”

According to investigators, Seifert claimed the sharks represented incidental catches while he fished for other species. Authorities, however, allege that the fishing methods he used, together with the number of shark encounters and the videos he posted online, showed he intentionally targeted the protected animals.

The criminal complaint accuses Seifert of nine counts of second-degree unlawful recreational fishing and one count of making a false statement to a public servant. Those charges stem from multiple alleged encounters involving protected sharks in Puget Sound.

As of July 27, Seifert has pleaded not guilty in Pierce County District Court. Court proceedings remain ongoing. His attorney had not publicly commented on the allegations at the time of the latest reports.

The case has drawn attention because Puget Sound offers one of the few places in the world where researchers and divers can regularly observe bluntnose sixgill sharks in relatively shallow water. State officials say protecting those animals helps preserve a unique marine ecosystem and supports future shark populations in the Puget Sound.