No fisherman's friend

Oct 3 2007

An angler has been accused of stabbing a sea lion after it stole his bait .

Hai Nguyen, 24, of Newport Beach, California faces up to a year in jail and a £10,000 fine if convicted of illegally taking and attempting to kill a marine mammal.

Police said he was fishing off a pier when the sea lion, a 6ft female weighing about 150lb, apparently snatched the bait from his line. He stabbed it in the heart and it had to be put down.