Man convicted in Great White Shark shooting in Santa Cruz County

A San Jose man was recently convicted for shooting and killing a great white shark in Santa Cruz County last summer.

The shark was found washed up on Beer Can Beach in Aptos on June 17, 2018 with gunshot wounds from a .22 caliber firearm.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) began investigating immediately.

CDFW recieved a tip that a member of a commercial fishing boat crew may have been responsible for the shark’s death.

Officers investigated the tip and located the vessel fishing after dark near where the shark was found.

Two wildlife officers confronted the crew as it returned to the Santa Cruz Harbor the next morning.

“A regular commercial fishing inspection uncovered multiple violations involving their catch for that day, including possession of undersize halibut, no landing receipts, failure to weigh their commercial catch and failure to turn in landing receipts,” said CDFW investigators.

A fully loaded .22 caliber rifle was located behind the seat of the truck the suspect was using to transport his commercial catch to markets.

The rifle was seized as evidence, then submitted with the .22 bullets extracted during the shark necropsy to the California Department of Justice crime lab to see if they matched.

As the investigation progressed, 41-year-old Vinh Pham confessed, claiming he shot the shark after seeing it swim near his fishing net.

On Jan. 14, 2019, Pham pleaded guilty to multiple charges including wanton waste of the White Shark, possessing a loaded rifle in his vehicle, possessing undersize halibut, failing to accurately weigh his catch, failing to complete landing receipts and failing to submit landing receipts.

Pham was fined $5,000 and placed on conditional probation for two years.

If you witness a poaching or polluting incident or any fish and wildlife violation, or have information about such a violation, immediately dial the toll free CalTIP number, (888) 334-2258