Sharks Draw Squawkers, Gawkers
Anglers reel in big fish, and bigger chunks of change, at Montauk tourney
 Jamil Donith
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(6/19/2008) The 22nd annual Star Island Yacht Club shark tournament weighed in 24 sharks and about 15 returning protesters at the two-day event, which started Friday in Montauk. This year, 193 boats were registered in the hope of winning a chunk of many, many thousands of dollars in cash prizes.
Spectators crowded the deck at the yacht club to drink beer and get a good look at the catch while a plane that had pulled anti-tournament banners during the previous two tournaments once again flew above. Demonstrators from the Humane Society of the United States and the East Hampton Group for Wildlife stood at the intersection of West Lake and Star Island Drives with signs that read, “Needless Killing” and “Protect Sharks.”
One man who was driving by parked his car to talk to the protesters. When they asked if he wanted to join them next year he exclaimed, “Hell, yeah!”
John Grandy, senior vice president of the Humane Society, attended this year’s protest as well as last year’s. People should be ashamed to kill sharks for money, he said. “The tournaments are the focal point that reinforces that sharks have no value.”
Richard Gherardi of East Hampton, a licensed charter boat captain who has competed in the tournament for 10 years, said it was not about the money, however.
“It’s a lot more for the fun,” he said. “The chances of winning money’s not worth doing it.” His son and his son’s college friends teamed up with him for the contest this year.
The yacht club has called the tournament “environmentally sensitive.” Blue sharks must weigh a minimum of 250 pounds, makos, 100 pounds, and other shark species, 150 pounds. The boats must observe the federal bag limit of one fish per trip, the shark meat traditionally is donated to food banks, and the shark carcasses can be used for scientific research.
This year, the humane society sent a letter to Long Island Cares laying out the potential health risks of eating shark meat and the concerns of conservationists. Long Island Cares decided to stop accepting shark meat supplied by any tournament or sporting event.
“Although a donation of food is always welcomed and appreciated, we also must be compassionate in our thinking about how certain foods are acquired,” the organization’s executive director, Paule Pachter, said in a press release.
Lisa Natanson, a marine biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service in Rhode Island, said the tournament does give researchers a size range and availability that they would not have otherwise, but pointed out that the tournament is not staged for the benefit of scientists, nor is it their only means of research.
“The goal for the general public is sustainability,” she said.
This year an underwater photography and video group, DivePhotoGuide.com, posted an article at its Web site attempting to mobilize people to protest. The group’s founder, Jason Heller, said on the Web site that the organization had received a death threat from one of the anglers on the first day of the tournament. Mr. Heller wrote that the authorities had been notified and were tracing the phone call.
Shark tournaments became popular after the 1975 movie “Jaws.” The shark-crazed character Quint was based on a legendary Montauk fisherman, Frank Mundus, who caught a 4,500-pound white shark in 1964.
 Jamil Donith
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Captain Mundus, who was known as the Monster Man, is retired now. He attended this weekend’s tournament to sell autographed pictures and souvenirs, as well as tell fishermen about the “circle” hook, which he plans to market as the “monster hook.”
Unlike a J hook, which snags the shark’s stomach and rips it apart, the circle hook stays in the jaw, which allows a released shark to eat and eventually falls out.
“If one boat goes out there and hooks a dozen fish with a J hook, on average 2 will live, 10 will die,” Captain Mundus said.
With about 200, sometimes 300 boats in a tournament, about 3,000 sharks would be killed at only one port, he said, adding, “That number always opens up people’s eyes.”
For his part, Mr. Gherardi used a special “de-hooker” that actually removes the hook from the shark’s mouth. The yacht club gave the hooks to the first 50 anglers who signed up for the shark tournament.
Among the anglers was John Digertt, who took home $25,000 for the heaviest shark over all, a 353-pound thresher caught from the Reel Crazy, as well as prizes in the “heaviest other shark” ($3,500) and heaviest shark, day two ($2,500) categories. A tiger shark of over 420 pounds would have been the overall winner, but the boat was disqualified because it arrived after the 6 p.m. deadline on Friday.
Chris Earle’s 298-pound thresher, caught aboard the Why Knot, earned him $2,500 for the heaviest shark, day one category and $1,500 for the second heaviest “other” category. A 264-pound blue shark snagged $2,500 for Terry Powers; it was pulled onto the My Mate. The heaviest mako was a 241-pounder caught by Bryan Fromn aboard the Predator and earning him $5,000.
Thousands of dollars of bets made privately among the anglers must have sweetened the pot significantly.