MONTAUK, New York (Reuters) - In this Long Island fishing hamlet, hundreds of adults drank beer and children marveled at the bloodied sharks caught in a fishing contest, including a heart from a gutted 180-pound (82-kg) thresher shark that several children poked with awe.
A banner that flew overhead read "Enter the Cruel Shark Tournament Now." It belonged to a smaller group protesting what they said was the killing on Friday and Saturday of a species that was already declining in number.
The small group of protesters, backed for the first time by a large U.S. animal protection group, want to stop the shark-hunting tournament, one of the largest in the United States where the winner can take home more than $400,000 in prize money and from bets placed among fishermen.
"This isn't about sport, it's about big money and big suffering of endangered animals," said John Grandy of The Humane Society. "This is recreational slaughter done for cash prizes."
Following a Humane Society campaign, a similar tournament in Florida was shut down this year. The society promised protests at other fishing hubs in Maryland and Massachusetts where, like Montauk, contests bring visitors and commerce.
Organizers refused to shut down the tournament and Sam Gershowitz, the owner of the Star Island Yacht Club which hosts the event, now in its 21st year, said it did not contribute to declining shark populations and instead educated the public.
"Fishing has been an important part of Long Island's heritage and economy," he added.
He expected 35 sharks to be large enough to be caught and killed. Federal guidelines dictate a weight for each type of shark below which they cannot be kept. Smaller sharks are released and any shark meat not consumed by the crews is given to the poor.
Source : www.reuters.com
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