Long Island man accused of illegal capture of great white shark off Cape Cod
Christopher Stefanou, 30, allegedly caught “Aaron the Shark,” a great white that was tagged and had been closely monitored by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.
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A Long Island man is facing animal cruelty charges for an incident that occurred in Massachusetts last year.
Christopher Stefanou, 30, is being accused of illegally capturing a great white shark on the shores of Cape Cod in Oct. 2025.
According to Cape & Islands District Attorney Robert J. Galibois, Stefanou and his crew had embarked on a days-long excursion along the eastern shore with a European client.
The team allegedly caught “Aaron the Shark,” a great white that was tagged and had been closely monitored by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.
Stefanou subsequently posted video on social media, which authorities say showed the men using prohibited equipment, including a drone, to catch and drag the great white onto the beach.
Massachusetts Regulations ban shore-based shark fishing with equipment that is meant to lure large species of fish in most of the waters the Cape Cod, in an effort to protect the public from practices that bring them closer to the shore.
Stefanou is charged with animal cruelty to shark, fishing for shark, mechanical deployment of bait, attempt to capture a shark, and possession of protected species shark.
He was arraigned Wednesday in Barnstable Superior Court and bail was set at $10,000, with his next court date scheduled for Dec. 11.
In addition to bail, the district attorney’s office says several conditions were imposed, including the surrender of Stefanou’s fishing license, removal of video, and no fishing, boating, use of drones in MA waters.
