A great white shark that swims off the coast of Cape Cod and made it into Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s catalog in 2024 under the name “AAron the Shark” is at the center of an arraignment announced this week. A man has been accused of luring the shark to land for social media content.
Cape & Islands District Attorney Robert J. Galibois announced that 30-year-old, Christopher Stefanou of New York had been arraigned this Wednesday (Oct. 21) in Massachusetts’ Barnstable Superior Court for his involvement in cruelty to animals.
In that press release from the district attorney’s office, it said that a Barnstable County Grand Jury returned indictments against Stefanou for Cruelty to Animals as well as violations of the Code of Massachusetts Regulations, including illegal shore-based shark fishing, unauthorized possession of a prohibited species, the illegal attracting and capturing of a white shark, and the illegal mechanized deployment of bait.
AAron the Shark is a 9.5-foot-long great white first tagged by the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy on Aug. 27, 2024. Galibois’ office said the shark is also closely monitored by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.
Stefanou, based in Long Island, N.Y., allegedly went out on a days-long excursion off the eastern shore of Cape Cod with a crew and European client last October. Per the DA’s office, their goal was to capture a great white shark and they allegedly ended up capturing AAron.
“Authorities were alerted to the illegal activity when Stefanou publicly posted video footage of the capture on social media showing the men using prohibited equipment, including a drone, to capture and drag the shark onto the beach, where they proceeded to celebrate and photograph themselves with the shark prior to releasing it,” the DA’s office said.
Study results cited by the Atlantic Great White Conservancy in 2023 indicated around 800 great white sharks visited the waters off of Cape Cod. Globally, great white sharks are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list.
Massachusetts state regulations prohibit shore-based shark fishing with equipment specifically designed to lure and capture large species of fish, including species of white sharks, in most of the waters off of Cape Cod. These regulations “are designed in large part to protect the public from practices that intentionally lure these prohibited species closer to the shore,” the DA’s office said.
The case will be prosecuted by the Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office, Assistant District Attorney Emily Nesson Cardia, and Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Sweeney, Chief of Appeals.
District Attorney Galibois would like to recognize the extensive investigation conducted by the members of the Massachusetts Environmental Police, with additional assistance provided by the Massachusetts State Police Detectives Unit Assigned to the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office, Wellfleet Police, and renowned shark expert, Dr. Greg Skomal of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.
Charges against Stefanou include: Animal Cruelty to shark, Fishing for shark, mechanical deployment of bait, Attempt to capture a shark, and possession of protected species. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Great white shark swimming in the oceanGetty ImagesThe defendant’s bail was set at $10,000 and he has been ordered to surrender his fishing license, remove video, not post additional videos, stay out of Massachusetts except for legal purposes, stop fishing, stop boating, stop use of drones in Massachusetts waters, remove video relating to allegations from social media, not advertise fishing activities in Massachusetts waters and not to post about the case. Stefanou is due back in Barnstable Superior Court on Dec. 11.
“DA Galibois acknowledges the vital role that responsible anglers play in ensuring the long-term viability of recreational sport fishing on Cape Cod, while also understanding the need to investigate and prosecute those offenders who go outside the boundaries of well-established regulations and criminal statutes,” said the DA press release.
