100 Dead baby hammerheads wash ashore

Shocking and disheartening, that’s how some people are describing the discovery of nearly one hundred dead baby hammerhead sharks near Keehi Lagoon in Hawaii.

Some experts are calling for tougher laws to prevent more incidents like this.

Experts said the sharks were probably caught in a gill net.

Summer is known as the pupping season for hammerhead sharks.

The baby sharks were dumped by the La Mariana sailing club, and worker Samuel Etrata was in disbelief when he came across them.

“I see sharks right here and then when I walk further I see this shark across the barricade. It is very shocking, yeah,” said Etrata.

He called the State Department of Land and Natural Resources which is now investigating.

Keehi Lagoon as well as Kaneohe Bay are known areas where hammerhead shark pups are born.

The director of the Waikiki aquarium said they were probably caught in fishermen’s gill nets.

“To breathe they have to keep moving, so once they’re in the net for even two or three minutes, they’re unable to breathe and they suffocate,” said Waikiki aquarium director, Andrew Rossiter.

Rossiter said he has never seen so many killed at one time, and adds that there should be tougher laws to prevent this.

“When it’s the pupping season and this is a pupping area maybe they should restrict or ban the use of gill nets, just for a couple of weeks to give them a chance,” said Rossiter.

State Senator Mike Gabbard has been trying to pass such a law for the last couple of years that would make it illegal to catch sharks in gill nets.

“I’m sick to my stomach about what’s happened today. It’s really giving me the incentive to make sure that this bill gets passed in 2019,” said Hawaii State Senator Mike Gabbard.

Anyone caught could been fined $500 per shark for the first offense.

The bill passed unanimously in the senate last year but did not move forward in the house.