New York governor Andrew Cuomo triggers outcry by killing threatened shark

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Most anglers are keen to show off their catch.

But New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has found himself at the centre of mounting controversy after posting a photograph of a “vulnerable” thresher shark he had caught.

The New York Post said that Ms Cuomo landed the shark while fishing off the South Shore of Long Island on Sunday and tweeted a photograph of the 154.5lb creature.

A spokesman for the governor told the newspaper: “This is an edible game fish that is indigenous to New York waters and catching them is allowable under both state and federal regulations.”

But while the sharks may be legal to catch, the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists them as “vulnerable” to extinction. As a result, Mr Cuomo found himself being widely condemned by environmentalists.

“Worse than #CecilTheLion? Andrew Cuomo @NYGovCuomo Gov of New York boastfully posing with threatened thresher shark,” tweeted the Blue Planet Society, an environmental group.

“Takes a big man to kill a species that is “globally vulnerable due to declining population”, ” tweeted @Icetrekker2009.