Christopher Stefanou, 'Long Island Shark Man,' charged with capturing a great white off Cape Cod

A Massapequa man, known as the "Long Island Shark Man," was arraigned in a Massachusetts court on Wednesday after he allegedly targeted, captured and posted video to social media of a great white shark in Cape Cod last year.

Christopher Stefanou, 30, was indicted before a grand jury in Barnstable Superior Court on charges of cruelty to animals and state violations including illegal shore-based shark fishing, unauthorized possession of a prohibited species, the illegal attracting and capturing of a white shark, and the illegal mechanized deployment of bait, the office of Cape & Islands District Attorney Robert J. Galibois said in a news release.

Last October, Stefanou and his crew allegedly embarked on a dayslong excursion on the eastern shore of Cape Cod with a European client with the goal of capturing a great white shark, Galibois said.

The trip resulted in the capture of "Aaron the Shark," a great white that had been tagged and closely monitored by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, working with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, the release said.

The great white shark is a prohibited species, meaning no retention is allowed in all U.S. waters and fisheries, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is globally classified as a vulnerable species, or one step below endangered.

Authorities were alerted to the alleged illegal activity when Stefanou publicly posted video footage of the capture on social media.

The video showed the men using prohibited equipment, including a drone, to capture and drag the shark onto the beach, where they proceeded to celebrate and photograph themselves with the shark before releasing it.

"Massachusetts Regulations prohibit shore-based shark fishing with equipment specifically designed to lure and capture large species of fish, including the prohibited species of white shark, in most of the waters surrounding Cape Cod," Galibois’ office said. "Such regulations are designed in large part to protect the public from practices that intentionally lure these prohibited species closer to the shore."

Jeremy Williams, Stefanou's attorney, told Newsday his client was fishing for sharks in general and did not intentionally capture the great white. Williams added the animal was safely returned to the water.

"He's a lifetime shark conservationist. He's built his entire career on educating the public and raising awareness for the protection of our wild shark populations," Williams said in a statement. "He spent years volunteering in shark tagging and research studies, educating the public on the responsible and sustaining angling practices. He would never intentionally harm a shark."

Stefanou did not engage in tagging during the excursion, Williams said. 

Bail was set for Stefanou at $10,000. Galibois’ office did not say whether Stefanou made bail.

The court also imposed numerous conditions on Stefanou, including that he surrender his fishing license, remove the video, not post additional videos and stay out of Massachusetts except for legal purposes.

He also cannot fish, boat, use drones in Massachusetts waters, advertise fishing activities in Massachusetts waters or make posts about the case.

Stefanou is due back in Barnstable Superior Court on Dec. 11. He could not immediately be reached for comment.

Newsday previously reported on Stefanou in 2018 while he caught, tagged and released Atlantic sharks — about 1,000 per summer — for NOAA.

New York State updated its shark fishing regulations in 2024 to reduce stress and injuries to protected and endangered shark species.