WATCH: Hazlet Teen Sorry for Fishing Video

Hazlet, NJ - John Contello is sorry.

This 19-year-old Hazlet teenager found himself the subject of Internet rage and ire from other fishermen after he posted a now infamous video of himself throwing striped bass back into Raritan Bay.

In the video, posted May 2 on his Facebook page, Contello can be seen bragging about his fishing abilities "Johnny Bucktail style" and then throwing lifeless-looking striped bass, one after another, back into the water. The video has been shared 642 times and received more than 150,000 views so far.

"This is disgusting," wrote Michael Scorzelli. "How often do you lip a fish and it doesn't shake? At the end of the video he even bumps one of the fish on the floor with his foot. No movement from any of them... I'm just glad we didn't see the rest of this trip or every other trip he goes on."

Others accused Contello of potentially violating fishing rules, by keeping fish only until a bigger fish is caught, a practice known as "culling." Smaller fish are then thrown back in the water — dead or alive — to avoid being caught by authorities for overfishing. Some said they reported Contello and his video to the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.

"Johnny bucktail style means throwing dead fish over so they can keep bigger fish," wrote Aaron Ciccia. "What a freaking shame ..." (His more colorful comments will not be published by Patch.)

"The reason we have limits is for conservation, where is the conservation in throwing back dead fish? After seeing this man's behavior,, how could anybody want to fish with him?" asked RenegadeMike Tumbeiro. "I sportfish for a living and it pisses me off to see idiots like this guy doing what he did."

On Wednesday, Contello issued a heartfelt apology on his Facebook page.

He also insisted all the fish he threw back into Raritan Bay were still alive and swam off on their own.

"As a 19-year-old who loves to fish (and who has been fishing every chance I can get since I can barely remember), I feel terrible about the backlash over my recent video. Despite what it may look like on the video, I want to be 100% clear in saying not one of the fish we threw back over the side was dead; yes, five fish in the cockpit (one per angler) were going home, but every other fish that came over the rail was unhooked and released – none floated, they all swam away as green as when they first came to the side. I know the video looks bad folks, but it’s not what it seemed – and forgive my excitement, it was a mad dog bite and we were all very excited. I’ve released a lot of big fish over the years and have taken great care in those trophy releases – perhaps I need to be more respectful for the teens and 20’s we’re catching and releasing too, I got the message. So maybe I have more to learn, and I’ve spoken to quite a few knowledgeable captains and anglers in the past few days who have offered a lot of good advice – to those who have reached out personally to offer guidance and friendly recommendations, thank you! To those who have threatened me, my family, my school, and anyone who has ever known me, much less fished with me, I hope you will consider what those actions mean to others. I’m confident that I’ve not done anything wrong legally (and welcome the discussion with enforcement folks monitoring this ongoing madness), but if perhaps if I’ve treated this great fish in a way other than with the great respect it deserves, I’m sorry – and I’ve learned a great deal from this experience."

Other fishermen appeared appeased and thanked Contello for apologizing.

"Hopefully he's learned a lesson and will discover a respect for the fish and the sport as well as teach conservation to others. The longevity of the fishery requires the cooperation and activism of everyone in our community. As horrific as this act was, it shows how passionate the vast majority of fisherman are and their commitment to conservation," wrote Scorzelli.

"All you have to do is gently put (the fish) back in the water and revive them instead of tossing them...." wrote Nick Di Ambrosio. "You are too young to know about the lack of stripers in the past, b4 your time. If you did know, then you would realize how valuable these fish are to (our) future fishery."