Dans Papers - June 8, 2007 - Sharks to Vote?

Montauk bills itself as the Fishing Capital of the World. This is no public relations stunt. It's the truth. If you take a look at the list of current world saltwater fishing records -- which I did in my World Almanac last week -- you will find that twice as many of them are held by fishermen from Montauk than from fishermen at any other fishing port in the entire world.

Our most recent entries are a 22-pound, 7-ounce summer flounder caught by Charles Nappi and a 528-pound Blue shark caught by Joe Seidel in July of 2001.

Sharks are a relatively new thing. Until one particular deep-sea fisherman came along in Montauk in 1950, shark fishing was unheard of in these parts. But Captain Frank Mundus arrived in Montauk that year and began taking enthusiastic fishermen out to catch killer sharks. He caught one Great White Shark that was over 3,500 pounds. But because, in the end, he had to shoot it rather than catch it on rod and reel, it didn't qualify for the record books. The record remains, to this day, a 2,664 pound Great White, caught by an Australian in 1973.

However, Mundus' accomplishments with shark fishing sparked an enthusiasm which led to a series of shark fishing competitions, which are now held every year by the Montauk Marine Basin, the Star Island Yacht Club and the Montauk Yacht Club. The enthusiasm also sparked the making of the movie JAWS, which, frankly, had been inspired by Frank Mundus. A whole lot of people get eaten by the Great White in the movie. It is considered one of the ten best movies of all time.

At this point, the shark tournaments, along with some surfing tournaments, have become a sort of centerpiece for the tourist season in Montauk. More than $150,000 is given to the winners at the four shark tournaments. And the shark meat is cut up at the dock and distributed to food pantries for needy people in the area.

Now, here comes a group that wants to shut down the four shark fishing competitions.

The call has come from The Humane Society of the United States, which sent a letter to the East Hampton Town Board calling upon them to send police officers to the four competitions -- the first one is on June 17, which is Father's Day -- and close them down. The reason given is that the shark population in oceans around the world is declining. And a cause of the decline is surely these shark tournaments, which the Humane Society says are the biggest tournaments of their kind in the world. They also say that being caught is a very humiliating experience for a shark.

Here are some excerpts from this letter, written by John Grandy, Senior Vice President for Wildlife and Habitat Protection at the Humane Society:

"It is time for a change in the way we view sharks and their protection. Nothing could be less educational or more degrading and demeaning to sharks than the cheers and jeers that greet the display and awarding of prize money for the biggest dead shark in each of multiple categories... We call upon you to take a leadership position with respect to protecting sharks and your reputation for serious conservation and humane standards, and call for an immediate indefinite moratorium on the Star Island Shark Tournaments and all other Montauk Shark Tournaments."

Are there people out there jeering at the dead sharks, laughing and pointing and shouting, "That ought to show you, you sharks, for what you've done, eating various humans around the world."

Whether this letter is serious or not -- it urges the Town Supervisor to refuse to grant the proper gathering permits required to hold the tournaments -- it certainly has gotten everybody talking nevertheless.

For one thing, at least one of the tournaments is a catch-and-release affair. No shark is killed. Though, maybe, catching a shark and then releasing it could cause troublesome emotional problems for it in the future. Perhaps it can't sleep at night. Stuff like that.

As for the other three tournaments, the only sharks taken are the largest. Perhaps 50 boats enter each tournament. They will only bring back one shark each. This is hardly a dent in a body of water that covers two thirds of the earth.

Lisa Grenci, the chairman of the Montauk Citizens Advisory Committee, had this to say: "They reuse the meat that is caught. It's not like they're killing for killing's sake. We feel it's important for our economy. We are a fishing community and the tournament is for a good cause. As far as I know, no local people have raised any objections."

And then there is this weird comment about the humiliation dealt to the sharks on the dock while being held up by their tails and then eviscerated and de-gutted right in front of women and children and so forth. The Humane Society missed the fact that high school biology teachers in the area sometimes take students down to the docks to watch fish of all sorts, not just sharks, be cleaned and prepared for market.

As for the Town Supervisor, he says he will issue the permits. He says he understands their concerns, but there are plenty of other government bodies that regulate the numbers of fish caught and he hasn't heard from any of them about shark fishing. The fact is that when a particular fishery declines, the catching of that fish is limited by the authorities until the stocks can revive. Then it is once again open season.

I think there ought to be a public hearing about all of this. Not for humans. For sharks. I suggest that a sign be posted underwater on a coral reef off in the ocean somewhere inviting all sharks to come into Montauk Harbor on a particular day at a particular time to listen to what the Humane Society has to say about killing and eating.

Mr. Grandy and some of the others from the Humane Society could then be lowered into the water -- they won't be heard above water -- to explain their position to the sharks and describe to them just how much better off they will be, emotionally, physically and mentally, with these shark tournaments shut down.