Last year, we were happy to hear about a new satellite tag-and-release sport fishing competition that involved saving sharks rather than killing them. Every year, tens of millions of sharks are killed worldwide, many destined to be made into shark fin soup in Asia. One of Shark's Eye's primary goals is to bring attention to overfishing of sharks and to help bring back the large sharks that are disappearing from our waters. The tournament rules ensure the post-release welfare of all sharks caught, including mandatory use of circle hooks, heavy tackle and safe handling practices.
Shark's Eye 2013 was a big success: teams on ten boats tagged and released 64 sharks, among which were 33 mako and 31 blues. None were killed. (When last we checked in with April, a mako tagged in last year's tournament, she was off East Hampton. Now she's off the North Carolina coast. Hi again, April!)
This year's competition will take place July 11-13. Organizer Carl Darenberg of Montauk Marine says, "Great, competitive anglers make great tournaments and we are excited to step up the level of participation and stakes this time around." Scientists and their teams will attach satellite tags to some species, such as mako, thresher and blue sharks, to monitor their movements after release. Afterwards, their movements can be followed on the OCEARCH Global Shark Tracker site.
Team entries are now being accepted (maximum 50 boats) to compete for thousands in cash and prizes during this two-day tournament. The entry fee is $750 through May 1st and $950 after.
· Shark's Eye Tournament [Official site]
· OCEARCH [Official site]
· All posts about Shark's Eye [CH]
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