(The Hill) - One of the two Florida divers convicted of theft after freeing 19 sharks and a grouper from a longline and pardoned by President Trump earlier this week said that he was surprised the clemency came through.

“This is something I never thought I’d hold,” John Moore Jr. said on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, as he held the copy of the pardon signed by Trump.

Moore Jr., the captain of the boat, and Tanner Mansell, a crew member, noticed what they viewed as an illegal fishing line three miles off the coast of Florida in 2020. The duo freed the sharks and a giant grouper and ended up reporting the line to wildlife authorities.

Officials said the line was owned by a fisherman licensed by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration to research the sharks. Moore J

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