Humane Society wants to gaff monster shark tournament

[MakoMike]

Maybe they prefer the spectacle of a shark of that size eating one of their underwater filmmakers?
Fishsmith,
give your cat a kick for me.

[Mr. Sandman]

There has been a bunch of letters to the editor since the shark tourny that are calling for its end. Some of these guys are clearly PETA or Environmental Whackos that just don't like seeing fisherman at the dock (at all) IMO. They labeled fishermen as drunken slobs gloating over their catch and made sure there was an overdose of police to curtail such activity. My point is the bars around OB have drunken slobs most nights all summer and most of them are casual boaters tied up at the dock... most fishermen I know that plan on going offshore at 4:00am the next morning are not drinking hard...Yes many have a few beers upon return to port and I think this is where the stigma comes from but in my view it is no big deal. There are a few loudmouths that are making a big stink about this though.

I think the best thing they could do is after the weigh in to cart off the sharks to a off site tent for their autopsy instead of standing knee deep in a bloody parking lot in the middle of town.

[Bass Babe]

Highly publicized tournaments also raise awareness. People come to a competition or watch it on TV and they get to see how nifty sharks and other fish are. It may get them interested in conservation, or it could at least plant the seed in their minds that fish are out there, and that they're important. The spectacle of the tournaments probably interest alot of children in fishing or marine biology or some other fishy venture. They're great PR for fish. I think it would hurt aquatic life overall if tournaments were to be stopped.

thats just bull why because killing sharks big deal there 20 times the size of people i mean come on you see the size of that shark that was caught..... oh my good lord.that thing could probly stop world hunger.....

I say ya dont like it dont look at it...

[Bass Babe]

If sharks moved up the line in food fish status, they'd be in even more trouble than they are now. Over 50 species of shark are listed on the IUCN Red List, and many species only make the list late in their population decline. The sea is not full of endless resources, and it cannot solve the world's hunger problems, which are caused mostly by politics and inefficient food distribution rather than by an actual lack of food. Many shark species need protection, and while it may lower the numbers killed by stopping tournaments, there will be less people that care about shark conservation if they are discontinued. The tournaments are sacrificing the few for the greater good. The Humane Society is really working against itself. I give their spokesperson some credit for not sounding too outlandish and nutty, although I do disagree with his view.