Decapitated shark found in Newport was a legally caught mako, officials say

By Hannah FryStaff Writer

June 7, 2016 5:01 PM PT

A bloodied, decapitated shark found on a Newport Beach dock last month was a mako shark and its capture was legal, California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials said Tuesday.

Photos of the shark sparked outrage when they went viral on social media, with many initial posts indicating the shark was a juvenile great white, which is illegal to catch in California.

However, officials determined through DNA tests and additional specimens obtained from the fisherman who caught the shark that the animal in the photos is a mako shark, which is legal to catch, said Andrew Hughan, a spokesman for the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

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“The fisherman was very cooperative,” Hughan said. “He didn’t have anything to hide. Could he have used more discretion and not left the head on the [dock]? Maybe, but he didn’t break any laws.”

Hughan said mako and great white sharks look similar and are often confused.

Hannah Fry, hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN

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Hannah Fry

Hannah Fry covers breaking news for the Los Angeles Times. She most recently covered Orange County for The Times and has written extensively about criminal trials, housing, politics and government. In 2020, Fry was part of the team that was a Pulitzer finalist for its coverage of a boat fire that killed 34 people off the coast of Santa Barbara. Fry came to The Times from the Daily Pilot, where she covered coastal cities, education and crime. An Orange County native, Fry started her career as an intern at the Orange County Register.