Gone Fishin' : Just when you thought it was safe to go to Oak Bluffs
The 23rd annual Oak Bluffs Monster Shark Tournament will be held this weekend. Anyone who has ever strolled along the harbor bulkhead when the circus is in town knows that it is a fishing contest about big boys, big toys, and big fish.
Last year's 22nd Oak Bluffs Monster Shark Tournament attracted a monster crowd each afternoon to watch sharks be weighed in. File Photo by Steve Myrick
I do not fish for sharks. Doing so would violate a basic fishing principle I have followed for many years: do not fish for any fish species that grows bigger than your boat that can eat you.
I like to fish from the shore. On occasion I use a boat but I find it more reassuring to know that solid ground is under my feet and not fathoms away.
Put quite simply, shark fishing and big tournaments are not for me. But soccer is not for me; American Idol is not for me; and watching two guys inside a cage batter each other senseless is not for me.
But do I care if you decide to jump into a cage with a guy tattooed up like a Maori warrior; or sing in front of an audience of millions of viewers? No.
For several years, the Monster Shark Tournament was the focus of some good entertainment. ESPN, the sports network, decided to film the contest, and like chum in the water, the cameras attracted the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
The Humane Society made the tournament the focus of a national campaign. The powerful and very wealthy national organization published the home telephone numbers of Oak Bluffs selectmen who were unwilling to go along with the society's call to boot the tournament out of town.
Selectman Greg Coogan never lost his sense of humor. He added the theme from "Jaws" to his telephone answering machine. The debate grew more rancorous last September when HSUS asked the state's attorney general to investigate whether the tournament was a platform for illegal gambling activities and implied that Oak Bluffs police were complicit.
Perhaps it is the economic slowdown, or simply shark fatigue, but there has been very little talk about the tournament this year. HSUS has scaled back its media assault for budgetary reasons, I am told.
A half-page ad appeared in the Tuesday Vineyard Gazette titled "Shame on the Oak Bluffs Monster Shark Tournament." It pictured a trussed up shark and recited all the reasons the tournament is a bad idea.
A Gazette news story in the same issue, "Shark Tournament Participation Down from a Year Ago," reported that HSUS representatives would not attend this year. The Gazette reported it but could not get a comment from Big Game organizer Steven James because he has made it a policy not to speak to the Gazette.
HSUS also issued a press release Tuesday that it sent to The Times promoting the fact that a Colorado-based high-end fishing accessory company that caters to fly fishermen had joined the call for an end.
"Shark tournaments are a disgrace to the environment and to the community. Oak Bluffs should stop playing host to this kind of brutality," John Land Le Coq, co-founder of Fishpond USA, said in the press release.
"We commend Fishpond USA for recognizing the dire status of shark populations worldwide and putting its reputation and brand behind the campaign to end these tournaments," said John W. Grandy, HSUS senior vice president for wildlife and habitat protection. "These events glorify the suffering and death of ecologically important animals, and it's time to end the Oak Bluffs Monster Shark Tournament for good."
Many people think the shark tournament is a black and white issue. But I do not agree with the view that because I am not against the tournament, I am for it (Oh my God, I sound like John Kerry).
Some people are simply against catch and kill tournaments. If that is the case, all tournament fishing is wrong. But that is a view based on personal philosophy, not fisheries management.
The fact is that the shark fishermen who enter the tournament operate within the regulations of the Division of Marine Fisheries. The tournament rules are designed to restrict the number of fish brought to the weigh in.
I think the HSUS strategy of attacking the Oak Bluffs shark tournament is designed more to raise money than to protect shark species. The major threat to sharks, and many other large pelagic fish like tuna, is commercial exploitation by fishermen who operate in largely unregulated waters.
I think HSUS would be more effective if it worked with sport fishermen and did not attack them for participating in an activity they enjoy. All these years HSUS could have been working with tournament organizers in a constructive way, but it may be too late for that.
I gave Steve James a call Tuesday night. He was not shy.
Steve said the boat count is down this year and reflected the general economy. "People are being very cautious about what they are spending their money on," he said.
Steve said tuna fishing has been "on fire," and he expects the shark fishing to be equally good. He said the Monster Shark Tournament is the largest tournament of its kind in the world. How has it survived 23 years? "It is an exciting event to be part of, there're great people there, great fishing and a lot of competition and camaraderie among the rank and file," he said. "It's just a fun event to be part of."
It is that fun that the Humane Society opposes, Steve said. "They really find it quite despicable that people would have a good time catching fish. The Humane Society is an anti-fishing group, it is not just anti-shark fishing."
Steve was just warming up. "How could anyone buy into the concept that the shark fishing tournament is cruel?" he asked. "And somehow the same equipment is used to catch bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna, and wahoo." Steve said the tournament follows International Game Fish Association regulations and is no crueler than any other type of fishing.
Meanwhile, business people in Oak Bluffs are likely glad that the town did not decide to boot the tournament out of the harbor. Study after study has demonstrated the economic value of sportfishing and the tournament competitors, who will fill the harbor, and the money they bring, will likely be welcome in town.
I tried to put in a good word for my colleagues at the Gazette, but Steve was more inclined to use them for chum.
"I am tired of the Vineyard Gazette's jaded perspective on sportfishing," Steve said. "Every time I have a conversation with those folks over there my words come out skewed and out of context." Steve said the Gazette was all done at the tournament, which I guess means no place setting at the awards banquet.
First Bonito
Late word reached The Times yesterday that Captain Rob Morrison of Coop's guided Bob Garrisson to a bonito off Wasque. Hooray!
Saltwater angling reflects coastal vitality
Saltwater recreational fishing continued to provide important economic benefits to America's coastal communities in 2008, bringing fishermen to the shore to reel in fish, book spots on charter and party boats, buy bait and tackle, stay in local inns and eat at local restaurants, according to a report issued this week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Fisheries Service.
Saltwater recreational anglers took an estimated 85 million fishing trips in 2008, down slightly from the 93 million trips estimated in 2007, the NOAA press release said. Saltwater anglers caught an estimated 464 million fish in 2008, down slightly from the 475 million caught in 2007. That the decreases were moderate reflects stability in saltwater angling.
"Saltwater recreational fishing is one of the most popular outdoor sports in America, and those who take part in it bring economic vitality to coastal towns and cities," NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco said. Saltwater angling generates an estimated $82 million in sales and supports more than 500,000 jobs annually, according to the most recent figures available to NOAA.
"Saltwater anglers have their eyes on the water and a vested interest in sustaining fishing opportunities for their children and grandchildren," Ms. Lubchenco said. "They are natural champions for ocean stewardship."
Saltwater anglers demonstrated their conservation ethic by catching and releasing back into the water some 58 percent of the 2008 catch, slightly up from 57 percent in 2007, according to the report.
NOAA's report also tallied the top catches by region.
Spotted seatrout was the most popular catch among marine recreational anglers in 2008. The species is caught in the Gulf of Mexico and the south Atlantic regions, which have the highest combined concentration of saltwater anglers in the nation. The top catches in other regions were grouper (Caribbean), striped bass (North Atlantic), summer flounder (Mid-Atlantic), chub mackerel (Pacific), black rockfish (Pacific Northwest), and skipjack tuna (Western Pacific).
