Local sport fishing company's employee figures in shark "beat down" video

Local sport fishing company's employee figures in shark "beat down"
video


A man in a YouTube video shown smashing a dogfish on the deck of a boat
and throwing it overboard was disciplined by his employer following
news reports about it and reaction from animal advocates

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

A local sport fishing company has disciplined an employee after an
online video depicting him smacking a dogfish on a ship's deck and
throwing it overboard surfaced on CTV news this week.

The video, called "Ucluelet July 25. 2009 Mud Shark Beat Down," was
posted to the popular video website YouTube.

Brian Clarkson, manager of the Canadian Princess Resort in Ucluelet,
said he saw the news report and followed up with an investigation at
work because the man in the video is on one of the resort's boats and
is wearing a sweatshirt with the resort's logo.
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Clarkson said after looking into the matter, he confirmed it was one of
the company's boats and one of their employees.

"The employee himself is pretty horrified that he allowed himself to do
that," Clarkson said. "We don't endorse [the video] and we don't
support it and as a matter of fact, the employee has been disciplined."

The resort has been in the sport fishing business for 30 years and
Clarkson said the industry is of utmost importance to them and any kind
of disrespect is a "serious offence."

Clarkson added that he has been talking to every skipper and deck hand
with the company to reinforce the message.

The Humane Society of Canada (HSC) announced Tuesday it would offer a
$1,000 reward to bring the man shown in the online video to justice.

HSC chairman and CEO Michael O'Sullivan called the man in the video a
"loudmouthed coward."

O'Sullivan said the growing use of the internet to display cruelty to
animals prompted the society to establish a Cybercruelty Program to
monitor and investigate incidents.

Three Saskatchewan men were arrested earlier this week and charged with
fines totaling $16,000 after a video posted online showing them
illegally shooting ducks and ducklings caused widespread public
outrage.

Fisheries and Oceans conservation and protection officer Jim Robson
said the actions of the man in the mud shark video are at the very
least unethical, but are also illegal.

Robson said the man could face a fine of $50.

He explained that DFO has a law that regulates catch and release of
fish and that the release of fish should be done with the least
possible harm.

He added that DFO investigates any violations of their regulations,
regardless of whether they come from the internet or not.

"The important goal of enforcement is first of all prevention," Robson
said, adding that DFO often relies on the general public for help.