ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— The Center for Biological Diversity today increased the reward to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction for the unlawful killing of a great hammerhead shark in southeast Florida. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has offered a $1,000 reward, and now the Center is boosting the amount by $4,000.

The 12-foot-long great hammerhead shark was discovered on March 15 washed ashore near the Juno Beach Pier. The animal’s dorsal fin and tail were apparently sawed off.

“Killing one of our magnificent hammerheads and then brutally hacking off the animal’s fins is gruesome, senseless and terrible for Florida’s coastal ecosystems,” said Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director at the Center. “I firmly believe that someone who has information about this horrific act will step forward and help bring the offender to justice. Floridians don’t mess around when it comes to our precious marine life.”

The great hammerhead shark is designated as globally critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List. Great hammerhead populations have been decreasing because of pressure from targeted fishing and unintended bycatch in commercial and small-scale fisheries. They have been fished almost to extinction in the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. In the Atlantic the population has declined more than 50% in the past 70 years.

The great hammerhead is also designated as a “prohibited species” in Florida, which means no one may harvest a hammerhead from state waters. If a hammerhead ends up on an angler’s line, the animal must be immediately and carefully released. Removing a shark fin is also a federal crime.

Great hammerhead sharks swim through temperate and tropical seas globally, including off Florida’s Gulf and Atlantic coasts, where they can often be seen near coral reefs, inlets and bays. They are olive to brownish gray with white bellies and are known for their namesake hammer-shaped heads. They can grow up to 19 feet and live more than 40 years. They primarily eat various reef fish and rays.

Anyone with information regarding the illegal killing of this hammerhead shark should call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Wildlife Alert Hotline at (888) 404-3922. Reports may be made anonymously.