Animal rights advocacy groups criticize soccer player Christian Pulisic for video with a vulnerable species

(CNN) – Christian Pulisic has been criticized by conservationists for posting a video on Instagram in which he is seen performing soccer tricks above a goliath grouper, before falling into the water and landing on top of the vulnerable marine species.

The 22-year-old Chelsea and United States men’s national team star, who has been spending the offseason in Florida, was sitting on the edge of a boat kicking over the fish, which was hooked by a hook underneath. him, while others filmed the stunt.

Pulisic then lost his balance and landed on the fish, which can be seen flailing in the water. Then the footballer gets on the boat.

It was unclear where Pulisic was when the incident occurred, but in the Instagram post, the player tagged an account linked to BlacktipH, a Florida-based fishing collective. His video was also retweeted from BlacktipH’s Twitter profile, with the caption “Christian Pulisic living on the edge.”

They also posted a video of Pulisic catching and releasing a shark from his Instagram page.

The video, which went viral, was forwarded by the Blue Planet Society, which describes itself as “a voluntary and self-funded lobby group campaigning to end the overexploitation of the world’s ocean.”

“Abusing a threatened Goliath grouper for a video on social media is a new low point,” the group tweeted in response to the video.

Mistreating animals on social networks, a growing trend

Atlantic Goliath groupers, which sometimes reach 2.5 meters in length and can weigh 363 kg, are recognized as a vulnerable species, whose population is declining, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

“We originally published and commented on the video because the goliath grouper is classified as threatened by the IUCN Red List and is protected by law in the US,” Blue Planet Society said in a statement to CNN.

Referring to information from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission – which states that photographs of the species, or any other activity such as measuring fish, should not delay the release in any way – they added: “In our opinion, the Christian Pulisic stunt was in clear violation of these rules.”

“The mistreatment of animals to attract attention on social media seems to be on the rise. We strongly believe that people should be drawn to it, especially when they are as influential as Mr. Pulisic.”

CNN has reached out to the player’s agent, Chelsea FC and the USMNT for comment.

Champions League winner Chelsea play Europa League winner Villarreal in the UEFA Super Cup on 11 August. Chelsea’s first Premier League game is against Crystal Palace on August 14.