A man could get a year in prison and a $50,000 fine for killing an endangered sawfish
Chad Ponce(38), a man from Jacksonville, Florida, recently pled guilty to killing an endangered animal, and could face a $50,000 fine and a year in federal prison.
He was seen last year in July on a boat using a power saw to cut off a live sawfish's rostrum— a saw-like extension of their head—which they use to sense and attack their prey. Without it, the fish cannot live.
Smalltooth Sawfish usually live in tropical, shallow water in the coast of the Atlantic. They are classified as elasmobranchs, a subclass of cartilaginous fish that includes sharks, rays, and skates. Sawfish can grow up to 18 feet, with 21-30% of the length being their rostrum.
After its population drastically declined from destruction of habitat and accidental captures, it became the first marine fish to be classified as endangered in 2003, although it has been protected in Florida waters since 1992. It is protected under the Endangered Species Act, prohibiting the killing, harassment, catching, or harming of the fish. Although fishermen may sometimes catch it by accident, there are guidelines to tell them what to do in the case of that happening. Sawfish are harmless to humans unless threatened.
Ponce's sentencing date has not yet been determined.
Questions
1. Do you think a year in prison and a fine of $50,000 a fair punishment for Ponce?
2. Is there anything that can be done to prevent events like this from happening?
3. What can we do to prevent the extinction of species like the sawfish?
I do think the seemingly harsh punishment is appropriate for Mr. Ponce because not only is what he did illegal since the fish is endangered, but also because it is extremely cruel. By taking away the fish’s ability to eat, the saw fish is forced to starve to death. I also think this punishment is appropriate because it’s not like Ponce thought what he was doing was okay and legal, since cutting off a fish’s body part is obviously illegal, especially if you have to use a power saw to do it. Additionally, I think the only way to prevent poaching like this from happening in the future is to demonstrate the serious consequences and make them harsh enough so that people recognize it isn’t worth the possible fine and prison time just for a trophy. I think this is the only way to curb this poaching because there is no way Florida’s Fish and Wildlife can hire enough wardens to catch everyone participating in poaching, especially since Florida’s waterways are massive.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a fair punishment, not even from the endangered species standpoint but the animal cruelty standpoint. As Nathan said, this was not accidental; nobody goes "Whoops, I just mutilated a fish with a power saw. I guess these things just happen." Harsher punishments and more education is important for preventing these incidents; encouraging more people to engage in nature conversation, or simply just planting more flowers/trees, would help. There may be greater environmental issues than sawfish conservation, but every little bit matters. Financing captive breeding efforts, as are used for many species, and rewilding of habitats, would be progress. The next time you're going to spend $50 on a makeup kit or a Nintendo Switch game, buy a few plants from Home Depot instead.
ReplyDeleteJust like the sentiments of Nathan and Ryan above, I believe that this is a punishment that Chad Ponce deserves. Only through harsher punishments, are people able to be deterred from doing such deeds and causing harm to nature and the environment around us. The sawfish was placed under the protection of the Endangered Species Act because it was on the brink of extinction. This meant that if people continued to kill and harm these fish, they would be completely gone and most likely will never return. This Chad sawed the saw of the sawfish, forcing the usually harmless fish to succumb to agonizing torture. A possible method to prevent more of these situations is to educate people and raise awareness about endangered species the punishments that can result from violating the laws that protect those species.
ReplyDeleteI do think that a year in prison and a $50,000 fine is a fair enough punishment for Ponce because he has to pay lots of money, and spend a year in prison where he can reflect on his wrongdoing. I think that there are already some things being done to prevent situations like this one from happening, like fishing checkpoints; I think that although there are some things that can be done, there are only so many rules that can be enforced. I believe it’s up to the people to abide by the law, and not do things that can harm the sea-life. To prevent the extinction of endangered species, there can be more awareness about the importance of these species. With more awareness, people may actually stop killing and save the lives of these species.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that the punishment is somewhat just. I think the punishment shouldn’t be fixed to all offenses which I dont believe is the case. This case seems that he did it intentionally and not by accident as you mentioned, but I believe that the reasoning should be mentioned. There was a grey wolf crisis in Yellowstone I believe in which the endangered species laws varied since Yellowstone crosses multiple borders. Althought Wyoming said the grey wolf could not be hunted, the other state still killed the grey wolves because it was in their border and the wolves killed their livestock. There are many perspectives which can support varyinng sides of the argument, but my consensus is that congress should intervene (when they can) and create an overarching document regarding endangered species, this may already be a thing but it’s just a thought. The only problem I see the awareness aspect, and how off hand knowledge of these species can be implented into society. Grey wolves were thought extinct in America until some were spotted hiding in Yellowstone. All species are part of the cycle of another’s and should be protected, the punishment of one individual shouldn’t be THE focus, but rather a piece of the puzzle to find out how to spread awareness and to protect endangered species. Fear shouldnt be the main reason people dont kill animals, knowledge of the life cycle and endangered species directing morality should be the reason.
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ReplyDeleteWhile I agree with everyone above that Chad Ponce certainly deserves the sentencing and fine he received, most of the comments make a solution sound so simple: "just spread more awareness." I, too, would like to think positively like that, but in this day and age it's unfortunately become pretty naive. People are taught all the time since youth to throw away their trash, yet most still disregard that basic sense of moral decency, even with increasing fines for littering. It wouldn't matter whether this fish was endangered or not to a man like this. Anyone crazy enough to mutilate a fish for a trophy, instead of simply taking a photo, is going to do so regardless of endangerment. Yet I also agree with Franco that fear should not be the motivating factor behind prevention. History has shown us that ruling through fear has often led to less than desired results. The only way I can see to get out of this would be financing captive breeding efforts, as Ryan said, but whether people are really willing to contribute is a different matter.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think a year in prison and a fine of $50,000 is a fair punishment for what this individual did. The rules are clearly laid out and if he does not follow them, that is his own fault and he deserves the consequences. Furthermore, in order to prevent events like this from happening again, I think that although the Endangered Species Act is being implemented, there should be more rules, laws and strict enforcement of them in order to protect these types of animals. In order to prevent extinction of species like the sawfish, attention should be brought to the issue and people should know the possible effects of their poor actions. Also, as mentioned before, there should be more laws to prevent people from engaging in this behavior.
ReplyDeleteI think the punishment is justifiable because of the importance of biodiversity in maintaining a safe environment. The protection of these endangered species needs to be stressed in order to ensure their safety. By giving Ponce a “harsh” punishment, others will be likely to shy away from committing the same acts as they know the repercussions will not be lenient. Preventing the extinction of these species will require more attention and regulations to further instill the importance of protecting the sawfish to prevent them from becoming extinct.
ReplyDeletePonce definitely deserves some sort of punishment and fines do seem reasonable however, a year in prison does seem too harsh. He may have not known that this fish was endangered or did not know that cutting off their rostrum will kill it, if this was the situation he should just get fined and receive warning or education on this subject. If he was aware of the endangerment and proceeded his actions then I do believe he should serve jail time. To prevent situations like these to occur again there must be further education on this topic and more people need to be aware of the animals. Awareness needs to be spread on endangered species and how it affects our environment, especially with the recent focus on environmental preservation. Diversity is essential to a healthy environment and extinction of species creates an unbalance.
ReplyDeleteI think that a year in prison and a fine of $50,000 is a fair punishment for Ponce. Not only is it a terrible situation because he killed an endangered animal, but his actions were illegal and cruel. It is heartbreaking just imagining the pain and toture that the fish had to endure. It is necessary to educate the general public to avoid animal cruelty. People need to be aware of the problem; spreading more awareness through the media is vital. It disgusts me that people think they can get away with such cruelty. To prevent things like this from happening again, I think it is necessary to be more aware of illegal and cruel actions on the water. More awareness to the situation could help protect these species.
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ReplyDeleteIn my belief, Ponce should have understood that the endangered saw-fish was not meant for commercial use, hence the fine of 50,000 USD and a year in prison is just, due to the fact that the survival of an endangered species is being threatened. In order to preserve the remnants of wildlife that exists today, we must impose strict punishments so that people can be deterred to commit such atrocities. Inevitably, people will go about their day and seek to benefit themselves. Frequently, the lives of countless animals are mindlessly exchanged for profit. As a community, we must enact stricter regulations that limits the market of illegal animal products, and help restore some of the many destroyed ecosystems of endangered species.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the jail time and fine of $50,000 is a fair punishment for Ponce as it sets a precedent for all others that are killing endangered species. Though the punishment may seem exceedingly harsh, it makes sure the law is taken seriously and cannot be blown off as a regulation that exists only in name and not in spirit. To prevent events like this from occurring again, there must be significant incentive to deter people, which I believe is covered in the fine and the jail time. To prevent the extinction of endangered species, a protected area could be created to foster the development of those endangered species until they propagate enough to enter in the natural habitat again.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that a year in prison and a $50,000 fine is a punishment that Ponce deserves because of the importance of biodiversity in maintaining a safe environment. The rules were also quite clear, and he should be able to follow. Additionally, Ponce’s actions were just cruel along with the fact that they were also illegal. The best way to prevent events like this from happening would have to be to bring more awareness to not only this situation but also other poachings that are happening. If push comes to shove and the awareness is not doing a well-enough job, I think the best thing to do after that is to create more harsh punishments.
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