Strange

Nurse Shark Left Abandoned on Overton Street in Miami, Florida

by Jon Azpiri | July 22, 2009 at 09:25 am

512 views | 4 Recommendations | 2 comments

A brown nurse shark was found dead on a Miami street Tuesday.

Local police believe that someone left the nurse shark on Overton Street in Miami after failing to sell it at a local fish market. A witness told police that two men had carried the nurse shark on a bicycle, trying to sell it to a local fishmonger for $10. When they couldn't find any takers, the two men dumped the shark in the street.

It remains unclear how long the shark had been dead. If caught, the people responsible could face charges of trying to sell the shark without proper licenses and willful and wanton waste.

Staff at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission took the deceased nurse shark and released it back into the water.

Nurse sharks are not an endangered species. They are a relatively common sight off the Florida coast and are considered relatively docile.

This is the second time in the last two weeks. Earlier this month, a giant basking shark washed up on a beach in Long Island.

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158

at 20:04 on July 22nd, 2009

People are strange sometimes.

Dean_S

at 04:12 on July 23rd, 2009

I find it disturbing that such a beautiful animal is so little valued by some people. Sharks play an important role in our environment whether they are common or rare. Hopefully this wasteful act will raise awareness for shark conservation support.