Despite the science, shark tournaments are scheduled on the east coast of the USA. At these tournaments, the sharks are fished for prize money and bragging rights. Fishermen participating in these tournaments catch and kill sharks regardless of size, and often times catch sizes that are protected, but the fishermen bring them in any way.
The tournaments are seeing fewer and fewer sharks, not by choice; taking the biggest sharks out of the ecosystem does not allow them to reproduce. Sharks need total protection to build up their populations. It is unacceptable to hunt and kill these sharks.
We urge all our members to New York and Massachusetts to boycott tournament sponsors and the following tournaments:
North Atlantic Monster Shark Tournament from June 22 to 25 at West Island Marina, Fairhaven, Maine
51st Annual Shark Tournament from June 24 to 26 at the Montauk Marine Basin, Montauk, NY.
Reproduced from Shark Research Institute Newsletter