Fishy battle brewing over Montauk shark tourney

A battle is brewing between environmentalists and sport fishermen over an annual Montauk shark-fishing contest. Bill Crain of the East Hampton Group for Wildlife says the Star Island Yacht Club should

News 12 Staff

Jun 11, 2007, 10:18 PM

Updated 6,308 days ago

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A battle is brewing between environmentalists and sport fishermen over an annual Montauk shark-fishing contest.
Bill Crain of the East Hampton Group for Wildlife says the Star Island Yacht Club should stop holding its tournament. Hanging dying sharks upside down on the docks like trophies is wrong, Crain said.
"It produces needless death and suffering," Crain said. "It's really unnecessary to kill these animals."
In last year's tournament, 355 sharks were caught, tagged and released, while 35 were kept.
Conservationist Bill Smith said nothing of the killed sharks is wasted. Smith said they're processed into steaks and given to a church group that uses them to feed the needy.
Nonetheless, Crain and the National Wildlife Foundation are calling on the group to stop the tournament, claiming it endangers the shark population.