A man who used a dead baby shark as a bong defended the video after receiving backlash on social media.
Billy Brislane shared the controversial video to the Facebook page ‘Fried fishing’, where he is a moderator.
The footage showed the commercial fisherman holding the lifeless animal up to his face and lighting the tobacco, which appears to be placed in a hole Billy made in the shark’s head. He inhales from another hole behind the fin before blowing the smoke out. The children’s song Baby Shark can be heard playing in the background.
WARNING: This video contains content some viewers may find disturbing:
Lets clear some air up on thisThe shark was caught by my mate fishing when we were fishing for mangrove jacks on Friday, After two nights left in the ice box i came up with the idea, There is no possible way it was alive It was tobacco id happily take a drug test to prove. The media is running false stories i have not even been given the chance to make a statement. THIS VIDEO IS COPYRIGHTED by friedfishing and is not to be used without permission.
Posted by Fried fishing on Sunday, 3 February 2019
Many people complained about the upsetting scene after the post appeared on Fried fishing, with those behind the page revealing they’d received ‘abusive messages’ and ‘death threats’.
In an attempt to defend the video, Billy posted some points drawing on the context surrounding it.
He wrote:
Lets clear some air up on this. The shark was caught by my mate fishing when we were fishing for mangrove jacks on Friday.
After two nights left in the ice box i came up with the idea
There is no possible way it was alive. It was tobacco id happily take a drug test to prove.
The media is running false stories i have not even been given the chance to make a statement.
Billy seemingly tried to justify the video by pointing out the shark is dead and he was smoking tobacco rather than any illegal substances, though his actions were still seen to be insensitive.
Earlier today, the fisherman revealed he was going to leave the page behind after the backlash he’d received.
Posting to Fried fishing, he wrote:
never thought id have to do this but today has become too much 4 admins run this page and all of us have spent our whole day filtering removing and coping abusive messages as far as to death threats
Due to the fact of false media that I never got to put a comment in.
The post continued:
I started friedfishing sitting around a fire drinking beers doing dumb stuff and we thought we would start filming it and it grew into a place where like minded people had a laugh and enjoyed it
I personally talk to alot of guys from my page and have made great friends. But due to todays recent events i have to walk away from social media my mental health is way more important
Thanks for the laughs guys
-billy
It is not yet clear if other moderators on Fried fishing will continue to post on the page.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.