Sport Fishing Expert says Catch-and-release tournament good for the ocean, good for fishermen and good for Oak Bluffs.

by Sam Low

Dean Travis Clark is an avid angler and licensed captain. He is the author of Fish - 77 Great Fish of North America. Dean has been executive editor at World Publications for the past fifteen years, where he worked on Sport Fishing, Marlin, Fly-Fishing in Saltwaters, and Boating Life magazines. He also hosts the popular Sport Fishing Magazine television show on the Outdoor Life Network. 

And - Dean was my houseguest this weekend so I had a chance to ask him about his opinions of the Great Shark Tournament in Oak Bluffs.

Sam Low: “Dean, you have been a fisherman all your life and even have put on fishing tournaments. What do you know about the Great Shark Tournament held on this island.”

DTC: “I have never heard as many negative comments about a fishing program on television as I have about Martha’s Vineyard Monster Shark Tournament. And not just from those who don't like fishing. Experienced salt water anglers thought it was awfully gory and didn't present us or our sport in a very good light.” 

“Sharks -- to their detriment -- have big teeth, are scary, and they often attract the Neanderthal element who just want to prove how they can triumph over such a big, scary "man-eater." And if TV or video games are any bellwethers, the American public thrives on gore and atrocity. If Oak Bluffs is tired of the masses of spectators surrounding the shark tournament, get rid of the gore, the teeth and the Jaws mentality  and you'll get rid of the crowds (of spectators).”

“I met Peter Benchley while I was working for Sport Fishing Magazine. He admitted, “If I had to do it over again, I would never write Jaws because it did the single greatest disservice to sharks ever.”

SL: “What is a catch and release tournament?” 

DTC: “There are different ways to handle the documentation of a shark catch. You don’t have to take them to shore and hang them up or weigh them. In a catch and release event the winner catches the most fish, not the largest. You don’t have to kill a fish to win the tournament. Once the fish get’s to the boat the challenge is over anyway. Better that you photograph the fish with a special code given from shore, then let the fish go. Sharks are impressive predators but that is no reason to kill them. They are a crucial part of the food chain that keeps everything else healthy.”

SL: “We have been told that if the sharks are not brought in to be weighed, the fishermen will not come and the tournament will not succeed.”

DTC: “In all the world-class fishing tournaments I've been involved with, the draw isn't killing fish; it's money. The prize money, the entry fees, the Calcutta. Fishermen will come to an event even if it is catch and release if there are substantial cash prizes.

SL: “Some of the citizens of Oak Bluffs think that a properly run catch-and-release shark tournament can benefit the town. Do you agree?”

DTC: “If you have a catch and release tournament, the blood-lust fishermen will disappear. But to attract entrants to a release tournament, you need a decent prize. Everyone can win with a catch and release tournament - the town can back it with a good conscience, you can attract good scientists to the event who can use it to produce good scientific information, you can have good educational programming, you can take care of the environment and you can have some really good fishing.”