Conservationists criticise Andrew
Cuomo after he tweets photos of himself next to thresher shark caught during
fishing trip
Monday 29 August
201615.22 BSTLast modified on Monday 29 August 201616.52 BST
The New York state
governor, Andrew Cuomo, and his news anchor brother Chris have been criticised
by conservationists and constituents after posing beside a threatened shark
they killed on a fishing trip.
The governor tweeted two photos of
himself and friends standing next to the bloodied shark as it hung from a
marina-side gantry.
“Today’s catch: A 154.5-lb [70kg]
Thresher shark off the south shore of Long Island,” Cuomo tweeted.
All three species of thresher
shark are listed as
vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of
Nature (IUCN) because of their declining populations. Fishing for them is
regulated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration but it is not
illegal.
Despite its legality, the UN’s
patron of the oceans, Lewis Pugh, said the killing and subsequent photos were
“abhorrent” and worked against those trying to conserve dwindling shark
numbers.
“The environment is the primary
issue on the global agenda, so it is extraordinary that a senior politician
could be so ignorant about it,” he said.
“Apex predators such as sharks
are crucial for the ocean ecosystems. For a public figure to kill such an
animal and then boast about it on social media is dangerously irresponsible.
This shows a clear lack of judgment and calls to question his capability as a
public leader.”
Melissa De Rossa, Cuomo’s chief
of staff, also
tweeted the photo, adding that the governor had caught the fish
with his brother, the co-anchor of New Day, CNN’s morning news programme.
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