A man in Florida is facing prison time and fines of up to $50,000 for sawing off the rostrum, or the snout-like protrusion, of a live endangered fish before throwing it back in the sea. Chad Ponce, 38, appeared in court on Friday, where he pleaded guilty to killing an endangered smalltooth sawfish last year. He then used a power saw to remove the fish’s rostrum before letting it back into the waters near Ponte Vedra, Florida. Ponce was questioned, but initially claimed he returned the fish to the ocean unharmed. Ponce now faces up to a year in prison and a fine of $50,000 for killing the endangered fish.

Source: Fox News November 05, 2019 15:46 UTC