Shark Fest a competition to catch the biggest shark

FORT MYERS BEACH: An upcoming festival on Fort Myers Beach is promoting the creatures many swimmers fear most. "Shark Fest" is a free event aimed at bringing more visitors to the area. But there are concerns it will have the opposite effect.

The event includes a competition to catch the biggest shark. The "Are You Man Enough Shark Challenge" is a part catch and release, part kill tournament for the biggest catch.

But it's that "kill" part of the event that now has one county commissioner wanting to ban it.

"It's despicable, barbaric and shouldn't be allowed," said Lee County Commissioner Ray Judah.

He wants the "kill" part of this challenge to be dropped.

"It should be catch and release. They can accomplish all they want and don't have to carry in a shark and mount it on cranes glamorizing it and making it a spectacle," Judah said.

Judah says it's not only inhumane, but a killer to local tourism

"When European tourists see large sharks hoisted upon crane on Fort Myers Beach, I think they would have second thoughts on coming to Fort Myers," he said.

This year marks the third year of the tournament. Officials say legal limits actually allow up to 200 sharks to be killed over this two-day event. But event organizer Jack Donlon says over the last two years, there have only been seven sharks killed.

"No one can arbitrarily bring back a shark," he said.

It's a debate pitting a hobby fisherman against a county politician.

"It's a fishing tournament. People like to fish. Some people like to catch and release, some like to bring it back - that's the way we fill the field," said Donlon.

The Lee County attorney is reviewing whether or not county commissioners have the power to ban the "kill" part of the event. If they do, commissioners will vote on it next week.

The event is scheduled for the first weekend in June.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Shark Fest
• Shark
• Sharks
• Fishing
• FORT MYERS BEACH

[ScubaDubaDive]

Big changes were made to a Fort Myers Beach shark fishing tournament. Organizers announced they will no longer allow sharks to be killed.

Public outcry and strong opposition from Lee County Commissioner Ray Judah led to the change.

Event organizers and Fort Myers Beach town leaders met Wednesday to discuss the controversy.

Shark Fest 2009 will now be a catch and release only tournament. No shark will be killed or hung from a crane.

[Rmjamja]

sharks are actually very important for our environment if sharks are killed we WILL die. They keep the number of fish at a lower number, without them the fish population would quickley increase. The fish would then eat more alge which is roughly responsible for 80% of the oxygen we breathe.

[Jawsthe23rd]

I wish all people would just catch-and-release...I don't know why anyone would want to kill these beautiful animals.

[925shah]

dude kill those fuckin sharks u know they deadly fuck em but keep the fishes shark r deadly as fuck pluse lost family members to so fuckkkkk emmmmmmmmmm!

[jsg2891]

I wish that all these tree hugging environmentalist scum would stop spreading their propaganda, all it does is further misinform other ignorants to what is really going on which is our rights are being taken away by this fucking save the earth movement. In Florida, the bag limit is 1 shark per day, and I will continue to do so, because smaller sharks make excellent bait for the bigger ones which are all over this area whether the tourist scum want to realize it or not.

[DowntownFootball]

Before you start rambling on about killing off animals, I suggest you do your research unless you like to flaunt your ignorance on the subject. Sharks are an extremely important part of the ocean's ecosystem and are important to our survival as well.

Also, if caring about the life of another creature makes others and myself hippies, I am proud to say that I am one. On that note, try not to make stereotypes about people when you are trying to make a point. It just makes you look even worse.

[adewitt149]

We are a greater threat to them then they are to us. check out how many sharks humans kill versus how many shark attacks occur annually.

[errato143]

if they will not kill sharks then sharks will kill us eventually....but the problem is, its risk to a human lives....btter choose wisely ur life or them?

[morviex]

so i made a miss spelling. God how little of a life do you have

[clodgemaster]

you can't even spell HIPPIE you scrotum!!!

[morviex]

hipie