By Joe Cermele

Here's an interesting story from the Los Angeles Times that proves you never know who has a video camera and Youtube account, so if you're going to potentially break the law, don't do it around a huge crowd of people. There are some gaps in this tale of sketchiness, but it begins with an angler on a boat catching a monster black sea bass off Newport Beach, California, on January 3. Problem is, these are protected species. Here's where things get weird.

The article claims this was an accidental catch, which is probably true. But it's unclear why these guys decided to tow the barely-kicking bass close to the beach where an "unidentified man" swam out, grabbed the fish, and pulled it to shore. From the story:

What initially appeared to be a case of a good Samaritan rescuing a huge black sea bass in Newport Beach could now result in criminal charges against the man for allegedly failing to help the animal, authorities said...

"They thought he made a reasonable effort to return the fish unharmed to the water," department [of Fish and Game] spokesman Harry Morse said...

But a video posted on YouTube shows the man apparently pulling the fish onto the sand as a throng of people surround the animal, shouting and cheering.

Yeah, I don't see any effort to help the fish, and if you look closely, the bass is wrapped in tons of line, chain, and a grappling hook. There are strange things afoot. I would guess the swimmer had no idea the fish was protected and was just looking to impress the beach crowd. These are the same people that get gored by buffalo in Yellowstone and try to catch spawning salmon by hand during "nature day" on Alaskan Cruises even though you're not supposed to do that. Take a look at the video and let me know what you think. - JC

Comments (7)

from hengst wrote 2 years 11 weeks ago

You pretty much covered it...A bunch of amateur idiots...The fish was gut hooked and should have had the line cut as close to the mouth as possible and left in the deep..depending on how deep it was caught they probably did not deflate the air bladder, judging from the stupidity.In part five it gets worse, the idiot even stopped for a photo op with his rod and reel. On a side note, I have a dream of one day shoving one of those camera phones down someones throat or up...

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from jeffo52284 wrote 2 years 11 weeks ago

yeah there is no effort to help the fish. it is just torture at this point they need to kill the fish or release it not drag it up on land to die slowly while morons with their camera phones snap pictures. ridiculous is what it is

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from vtbasser wrote 2 years 11 weeks ago

these seem all around dumb to me.

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from squirrelgirl wrote 2 years 11 weeks ago

such an amazing fish shrunk down to a freak attraction on youtube. sad really. if it's gut hooked i'd rather see it die at sea than on a beach with a bunch of yuppie's poking it with sticks. this video kinda of turned my stomach because as hunters and fisherpeople when we kill an animal we respect it's honor by treating it (even in death) with some mercy and grace.

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from rms_399 wrote 2 years 11 weeks ago

While I can understand the throngs of sheep excited about getting a look at what appears to be a very good looking fish, if that is the original angler, he should be found guilty of, at minimum, making a very poor choice. You should have more respect for the life of a gamefish than that (especially if it was "accidental" and you knew you should not be keeping the fish).

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from buckhunter wrote 2 years 11 weeks ago

The nice thing about living near the ocean is that you don't have to dig holes to get rid of these guys.

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from Jim in Mo wrote 2 years 10 weeks ago

Idiots, self absorbed idiots.

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from squirrelgirl wrote 2 years 11 weeks ago

such an amazing fish shrunk down to a freak attraction on youtube. sad really. if it's gut hooked i'd rather see it die at sea than on a beach with a bunch of yuppie's poking it with sticks. this video kinda of turned my stomach because as hunters and fisherpeople when we kill an animal we respect it's honor by treating it (even in death) with some mercy and grace.

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from hengst wrote 2 years 11 weeks ago

You pretty much covered it...A bunch of amateur idiots...The fish was gut hooked and should have had the line cut as close to the mouth as possible and left in the deep..depending on how deep it was caught they probably did not deflate the air bladder, judging from the stupidity.In part five it gets worse, the idiot even stopped for a photo op with his rod and reel. On a side note, I have a dream of one day shoving one of those camera phones down someones throat or up...

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from jeffo52284 wrote 2 years 11 weeks ago

yeah there is no effort to help the fish. it is just torture at this point they need to kill the fish or release it not drag it up on land to die slowly while morons with their camera phones snap pictures. ridiculous is what it is

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from vtbasser wrote 2 years 11 weeks ago

these seem all around dumb to me.

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from rms_399 wrote 2 years 11 weeks ago

While I can understand the throngs of sheep excited about getting a look at what appears to be a very good looking fish, if that is the original angler, he should be found guilty of, at minimum, making a very poor choice. You should have more respect for the life of a gamefish than that (especially if it was "accidental" and you knew you should not be keeping the fish).

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from buckhunter wrote 2 years 11 weeks ago

The nice thing about living near the ocean is that you don't have to dig holes to get rid of these guys.

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from Jim in Mo wrote 2 years 10 weeks ago

Idiots, self absorbed idiots.

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All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.