A SICKENING video of two fishermen laughing as they hack off an endangered Greenland shark's tail and throw it back into the ocean has sparked a fierce backlash on social media.
The horrifying clip shows the defenceless animal becoming tangled in a fishing line before the seamen lift it up and begin cutting away at its tail.
Blood can be seen streaming from the shark before the men casually throw it back into the sea and turn the camera around to their laughing faces.
According to Iceland's national broadcaster RÚV, the men can also be heard shouting: "Good luck trying to swim, you b*****d!"
The distressing footage quickly went viral after being shared on Facebook by Christel Ýr Johansen, who described the fishermen involved as "sick losers".
She wrote: "The guy is so proud of himself that he disabled comments because no one seems to agree with him ... got a screengrab before he closed that ... share at will".
One user replied: "No interest in humanity, and it does not change now that this unique Greenland shark (Which is at threat of extinction) could not have less chance of living".
Game of Thrones star Jason Momoa was also left outraged by the clip, writing on his Instagram:
The two men seen in the video have now been fired from their jobs and could face criminal charges, according to Icelandic media.
The ship's owners said in a statement: "This act is completely unjustifiable and those who committed it have no excuse.
"The owners have no other choice but to refuse any more services from the person displaying this kind of behaviour."
WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT BELOW
