INDIAN HARBOUR BEACH, Fla. — Editor's note: The photo used above is not the shark mentioned in this article.
A Melbourne man was sentenced after being found guilty of beating a shark with a hammer back in 2022 at Indian Harbour Beach.
A video from December 2022 reportedly shows a fisherman clubbing a five-foot shark to death with a hammer before tossing it back into the ocean.
Witnesses on the beach were able to call in the incident which prompted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to begin its investigation.
A month later in January 2023, FWC proposed two misdemeanors against the man, 34-year-old Brian Waddill.
On July 27, Waddill was found guilty and officially sentenced to 12 months of probation. He was also ordered to pay court costs and fines totaling $336.
On top of the probation and court costs, the 34-year-old will be responsible for making a $250 donation to the Brevard County Zoo, with proof needed for probation.
After the man's actions caused a stir across Brevard County, the Indian Harbour Beach City Council discussed sticker fishing rules.
Officials met back on Jan. 25 to "consider the first reading of a proposed ordinance that would expand the new fishing area, ban the cleaning of fish and other wildlife and create a citation process for rule breakers," according to WKMG-TV.
“They should have did something to him,” fisherman Robert Kufner said to the media outlet. "I don’t believe in anybody killing anything they’re not going to eat."
10 Tampa Bay's previous reporting contributed to this article.
