Community Corner
Shark's Eye "No Kill" Tournament Starts Saturday In Montauk
The charity tournament seeks to help scientists and school children to learn more about Sharks.
This Saturday and Sunday at Montauk Marine Basin, the “Shark’s Eye” shark-catching tournament will be held with a twist. Sharks, long hunted for food and sport, are starting to face extinction, and in turn so is the shark fishing industry.
This weekend’s tournament is “No-Kill”, “All sharks caught in this tournament will be released and only circle hooks can be used”, Carl Darenberg, Montauk Marine Basin owner, said. Eligible mako, thresher and blue sharks will be fitted with satellite tracking tags, which will monitor their movements after release. Each team will be allowed to tag and name the sharks, with a fourth to be named by the children of Montauk. All sharks caught will be able to be tracked online with the OCEARCH Global Shark Tracker.
Find out what's happening in East Hamptonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
In addition to the educational component, the mandatory use of inline circle hooks will help prevent more damaging internal hooking and heavy tackle and increased line strengths to reduce the length of a shark’s struggle.
Find out what's happening in East Hamptonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation (GHOF) is providing $10,000 in prize money and April Gornik will provide an original work of art to the winner. All proceeds from the two day tournament will be given to charity.
In addition to the tournament itself, the Marine Basin will also offer entertainment for those non-fishing spectators. On Saturday from noon to 5 p.m., for children of all ages, two Guy Harvey films will be played, “This is Your Ocean Sharks” and “Tiger Shark Express,” followed by Brooks and Sean Paxton’s film "Rich History - Priceless Future, the Tarpon of Boca Grande Pass". From 5-9 p.m. free live music featuring MariGrace Dineen, Caroline Doctorow and Colten James will be played at Gosman’s Dock.
On Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m. at the Marine Basin, spectators will be brought up to speed on the tournament so far. There will also be presentations from Riverhead Foundation of Marine Preservation and Conservation, Peconic Bay Keeper, Shark attack survivor Scott Curatolo-Wagemann, Nancy Kohler of National Marine Fisheries Services. And Brooks and Sean Paxton, “the Shark Brothers”, will present “Sharks, from Fear to Fascination!”
For more information on Shark’s Eye — a fishing tournament designed to save sharks —visit www.sharkseyetournament.com or call 668-5900.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
