Fisherman accused of shooting at whales in US
A tuna fisherman In the US has been charged with shooting at pilot whales from his boat with a World War II Mosin-Nagant rifle.
The accused, from Cape May, New Jersey has now been released on bail.
A whale shot with a bullet from the same type of rifle stranded on the shore and dies 100 miles northeast of Cape May in September 2011.
This is a worrying trend and WDC has become increasing concerned about incidents like these. A commercial boat captain from Louisiana in the US was recently sentenced under the US Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA ) after being found guilty of shooting a dolphin in the Mississippi Sound in 2012. Between 2002 and 2012, a total of 12 cases of dead dolphins with evidence of gunshot wounds were documented by US authorities.
