Man is fined $5,000 for keeping sharks
He had seven of endangered species in pool, avoids jail
A Dutchess County man will pay a $5,000 fine to settle criminal charges that he violated environmental laws when he kept seven sandbar sharks in a pool and planned to sell them.
Joshua Seguine became a focus of state Department of Environmental Conservation law enforcement officials in July 2017 when he was arrested in Georgia by a natural resources investigator after being caught driving without a license and in possession of five undersized sand sharks, a protected species. The sharks were in a large circular tank in the back of his truck, officials said.
At the time, Seguine admitted he was taking the sharks to his residence in upstate New York and that he had more sharks already there. Georgia law enforcement authorities alerted DEC in New York and investigators discovered Seguine — who was conducting business under the name Aquatic Apex Life — had been offering sharks for sale on the website Monsterfishkeepers.com.
Seguine pleaded guilty in the town of Lagrange to illegal commercialization of fish, shellfish, crustaceans and wildlife. He will receive a conditional discharge and does not face jail time.
“The tide has turned for Joshua Seguine, who was convicted and held accountable for his unlawful acts,” Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “Let this serve as a loud and clear message: We will not tolerate anyone who preys on protected species to line their pockets. My office will continue to enforce the laws that safeguard our wildlife, and we will hold accountable those who violate them.”
DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos in a statement said that it’s “critical that we work to protect endangered species that are taken from their natural habitats and sold for profit.
A search of Seguine’s residence in 2017 also uncovered two dead leopard sharks, one dead hammerhead shark, and the snout of a smalltooth sawfish, which is an endangered species.
The live sharks were subsequently moved to the New York Aquarium at Coney Island.