YouTuber and content creator LISHARKMAN was banned from the state of Massachusetts for allegedly capturing a Great White Shark.
On October 22, 2025, Christopher Stefanou and his crew allegedly dragged a protected 9.5-foot great white shark onto a Cape Cod beach for photographs. According to the Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office, the catch came at the end of several days spent fishing the eastern shore with a European client. The shark was a tagged male that researchers call Aaron. The crew pulled it ashore, photographed it, and released it. Prosecutors say catching a great white was the goal of the trip. The Provincetown Independent, citing the shark’s tracking record, dates the capture to that night. Stefanou has since been barred from Massachusetts, except for court appearances, as a condition of his bail, the district attorney’s office said.
Stefanou, 30, of Massapequa, New York, posts as LISHARKMAN and has more than two million YouTube subscribers. He also books private, land-based shark-fishing charters.
YouTuber Indicted for Allegedly Capturing a Protected Great White Shark Illegally for Photographs
Authorities learned of the catch after Stefanou posted a 17-minute video of the expedition on his YouTube channel, the Provincetown Independent reported. Prosecutors say the footage shows the men using prohibited equipment, including a drone, to deploy bait and drag the shark ashore, then celebrate and pose for photos. A Barnstable County grand jury indicted him on animal cruelty to a shark, fishing for a shark, mechanical deployment of bait, attempting to capture a shark and possession of a protected species.
At his October 21, 2026 arraignment in Barnstable Superior Court, a judge set bail at $10,000 and barred Stefanou from Massachusetts except for court appearances, the district attorney’s office said. He must surrender his fishing license, delete the videos, stop posting about the case, and avoid fishing, boating, and drones in state waters, the district attorney’s office said in a statement. Animal cruelty alone carries up to seven years in state prison, The Independent reported.
Stefanou pleaded not guilty, according to Surfer. His attorney, Jon A. Ciraulo, told the Boston Globe:
“The charges against Chris are allegations only. He maintains his innocence and intends to fully challenge the allegations against him.”
Aaron was tagged on August 27, 2024, and has since been detected more than 5,000 times. Receivers logged 21 detections in November 2025, the month after the alleged capture, the Cape Cod Times reported, suggesting the shark survived. Stefanou is due back in court on December 11.
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