Oak Bluffs Harbor filled up with fishing boats for the 21st annual Monster Shark Tournament. The tournament is sponsored by the Boston Big Game Fishing Club.
Its a shame that these gory killing fests still happen. People used to kill lions and tigers for entertainment before public outrage stopped them. Now they go after sharks.
This is a real black eye for Marthas Vineyard and an embarrassment for all Massachusetts residents.
The ignorance of the reporter and the organizers of this tournament is baffling. These are apex predators, they belong in the ocean. You will admit that it's harder to find big shark today than ever before, because they are being delplted. It is essential to keep the apex predator in the ocean. Shame on all of you for glorifying the death of these beautiful animals.
the vineyard doesn't need this event. it's terrible to think that we're slaughtering sharks en mass without considering the repercussions on the health of our oceans. this is not comparable to the fishing derby by any means- it happens in just 2 days, instead of 32 like the derby. the derby fosters a sense of community on the island rather than two days of debauchery and w.t.
Absolute rock-stupid ignorance here - this isn't fishing, it's just mass-slaughter of sharks as a low-intelligence mechanism for proving machismo. The cowards in the Oak Bluffs government should be ashamed of themselves for not finding a more ecologically responsible way to bring tourist dollars into OB. As if those dollars weren't coming in anyway...
And not for nothing, in any kind of a gas crunch, isn't this also a completely irresponsible activity from that standpoint as well?
I think the feelings would change if some of these folks have seen the wounds that a Mako or a Thresher has inflicted on innocent bathers or surfers.
Capt. Don
Capt Don, Sea Time Charters | July 20th, 2008 7:02pm
I think that they'd feel pretty special if they could actually see the wounds inflicted on bathers by a mako or a thresher shark. Between 1580 and 2008 (that's five centuries, Einstein) makos have been responsible for a grand total of 11 unprovoked attacks on humans, only two of which were fatal. In 500 years. Threshers? Threshers are responsible of a grand total of....one. And it was listed as a provoked attack.
So of ALL the brain-dead justifications for this mindless shark slaughter to satisfy some Neanderthal need to feel powerful in this world, yours has to be the most ignorant yet. * unprovoked mako attacks in half a millennium, since before there were Pilgrims on this continent, and that's a justification for killing all these sharks just to see who can kill the biggest? You're really that dumb?
Put it this way. Last weekend, at this one event, humans killed more mako sharks than have been killed BY them since we started keeping score, five centuries ago. And we probably hit that number by maybe lunchtime on Saturday, latest.
OH, BTW, the reason for such small numbers is that makos and threshers are open water animals - they hunt in the water column, not close to shore. So they don't encounter that many bathers and surfers 10 miles offshore.
When we swim in the ocean, we're playing in *their* world anyway. It's playing to the unintelligent to call these bathers and surfers "innocent" as it implies some sort of willful malice on the part of the shark. Completely incorrect. Unprovoked, sharks only attack humans for food, and in most cases it's a case of mistaken identity anyway. So all the shark is doing is what nature has told it to do, programmed by a million years of evolution. If we're going to invade their world, there's going to be some unpleasant encounters. This is absolutely no justification for a mass slaughter of these animals, especially since over the last 500 years, you can still count on two hands (OK, plus one toe) the number of unprovoked attacks on humans by makos and threshers.
We say that we protect animals, even the onces we don't like, yet what are we doing to stop kiling sharks, more of them are dieing every day, we don't need this contest to add to there problems!
way to represent Nantucket Bobby D.
Congrats to Plum Nantuckets own Captain Bob Decosta for winning the tournament.
The other side of this video story
Protect the delicate balance of our oceans, help protect shark populations. For the entire story - link to http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/wildlife_news/monster_shark_tournament_2007.html
horrible . i hope that
horrible .
i hope that stops soon .
the shark tourney is the worst part of the vineyard
Its a shame that these gory
Its a shame that these gory killing fests still happen. People used to kill lions and tigers for entertainment before public outrage stopped them. Now they go after sharks.
This is a real black eye for Marthas Vineyard and an embarrassment for all Massachusetts residents.
The ignorance of the
The ignorance of the reporter and the organizers of this tournament is baffling. These are apex predators, they belong in the ocean. You will admit that it's harder to find big shark today than ever before, because they are being delplted. It is essential to keep the apex predator in the ocean. Shame on all of you for glorifying the death of these beautiful animals.
This is a fishing
This is a fishing tournament, the fish just happen to be bigger. Where is the outrage at the bluefish/striper derby?
This is soooo sad and soooo
This is soooo sad and soooo barbaric. What are these people thinking??!
I believe that this is the
I believe that this is the most savage means to have a tournament.
the vineyard doesn't need
the vineyard doesn't need this event. it's terrible to think that we're slaughtering sharks en mass without considering the repercussions on the health of our oceans. this is not comparable to the fishing derby by any means- it happens in just 2 days, instead of 32 like the derby. the derby fosters a sense of community on the island rather than two days of debauchery and w.t.
Absolute rock-stupid
Absolute rock-stupid ignorance here - this isn't fishing, it's just mass-slaughter of sharks as a low-intelligence mechanism for proving machismo. The cowards in the Oak Bluffs government should be ashamed of themselves for not finding a more ecologically responsible way to bring tourist dollars into OB. As if those dollars weren't coming in anyway...
And not for nothing, in any kind of a gas crunch, isn't this also a completely irresponsible activity from that standpoint as well?
Why dont you people reply to
Why dont you people reply to what Mark said?
Where is the outrage at the bluefish/striper derby?
Is it because they are smaller fish so its OK?
So Jess, should the shark tourney be 32 days long? would that be OK?
I think the feelings would
I think the feelings would change if some of these folks have seen the wounds that a Mako or a Thresher has inflicted on innocent bathers or surfers.
Capt. Don
I think that they'd feel
I think that they'd feel pretty special if they could actually see the wounds inflicted on bathers by a mako or a thresher shark. Between 1580 and 2008 (that's five centuries, Einstein) makos have been responsible for a grand total of 11 unprovoked attacks on humans, only two of which were fatal. In 500 years. Threshers? Threshers are responsible of a grand total of....one. And it was listed as a provoked attack.
So of ALL the brain-dead justifications for this mindless shark slaughter to satisfy some Neanderthal need to feel powerful in this world, yours has to be the most ignorant yet. * unprovoked mako attacks in half a millennium, since before there were Pilgrims on this continent, and that's a justification for killing all these sharks just to see who can kill the biggest? You're really that dumb?
Put it this way. Last weekend, at this one event, humans killed more mako sharks than have been killed BY them since we started keeping score, five centuries ago. And we probably hit that number by maybe lunchtime on Saturday, latest.
OH, BTW, the reason for such small numbers is that makos and threshers are open water animals - they hunt in the water column, not close to shore. So they don't encounter that many bathers and surfers 10 miles offshore.
When we swim in the ocean, we're playing in *their* world anyway. It's playing to the unintelligent to call these bathers and surfers "innocent" as it implies some sort of willful malice on the part of the shark. Completely incorrect. Unprovoked, sharks only attack humans for food, and in most cases it's a case of mistaken identity anyway. So all the shark is doing is what nature has told it to do, programmed by a million years of evolution. If we're going to invade their world, there's going to be some unpleasant encounters. This is absolutely no justification for a mass slaughter of these animals, especially since over the last 500 years, you can still count on two hands (OK, plus one toe) the number of unprovoked attacks on humans by makos and threshers.
Use your head.
We say that we protect
We say that we protect animals, even the onces we don't like, yet what are we doing to stop kiling sharks, more of them are dieing every day, we don't need this contest to add to there problems!
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