In October 2025, a 9-and-a-half-foot great white shark named Aaron was captured off the coast of Cape Cod. Prosecutors say a group of men used prohibited equipment, including a drone, to catch him and drag him onto the sand. Then they celebrated and posed for photos before letting him go. Sign the petition urging the Cape & Islands District Attorney's Office to pursue a lifetime ban on shark fishing, permanent loss of the accused man's fishing license, and mandatory marine conservation education.
Aaron is not just any shark. Researchers tagged him in 2024, and he has been detected thousands of times along the outer Cape. Scientists have spent years learning from him, and he is part of the work to understand and protect the great whites that return to these waters. Authorities say they only learned what happened because the man posted a video of it online himself.
He now faces charges including animal cruelty to a shark and possession of a protected species. He has said he is innocent, and the charges are allegations at this point. But great whites are a protected species, and Massachusetts has strict rules against fishing for them for a reason.
A lifetime ban on shark fishing would make sure no other shark is ever dragged onto a beach for a photo. Mandatory marine conservation education would give him a real chance to understand what these animals mean to the ocean, so that this kind of harm does not happen again. Scientists tagged Aaron to learn how to protect great whites, and he was allegedly dragged onto a beach so men could pose for photos with him.
Sign the petition and demand the Cape & Islands District Attorney's Office pursue a lifetime shark fishing ban and conservation education in this case.
