The shark wasn't in a tank of any kind, just dumped on the concrete floor for any potential customers to snap up
Selling what you catch at sea can make you some quick cash, but shoppers were stunned when they spotted a live shark up for grabs in a supermarket car park.
People outside a Publix Supermarket in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, said the man drove up with a five-foot nurse shark, dropped it on the path and started negotiations.
A local news station spoke to Patrick Lanier who told them he reeled in the marine predator on the Intracoastal Waterway, and added: "I felt like a leprechaun, like I struck gold."
Lanier said he was hoping to make about $100 (Ksh. 9,600) from selling the shark, but no one seemed interested.
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"On top of it, it's not on ice. It's just sitting there on the concrete," said Publix shopper James Douglas. "Who's going to buy something like that? It is worthless."
A shocked passerby took out their cell phone and began recording the proposed transaction while the shark lay on the ground struggling to breathe.
A wildlife official said: “He can't do that with a regular fishing license. He needs to have a commercial fishing license to sell anything he catches.”
The shark remained on the pavement and up for sale as potential customers passed by and some likely pivoted in their tracks. "Every so often I'd throw some water on it," Lanier told local news station WSVN.
According to Publix officials, once managers figured out what Lanier was doing, they asked him to leave, and he did so politely.
With no takers Thursday, Lanier said, he released the shark back into the water on the Intracoastal, where it swam away.
It is not legal in the state of Florida to sell a shark you have caught without a commercial license, something Lanier said he discovered while trying to find a buyer.
He added that he's learned his lesson, and it's unlikely he'll ever do it again.