Outgrowing Shark Tournaments

Photo: Greg Chiasson/Flickr

Writer Ted Williams recently published a story in Hatch Magazine about shark-killing tournaments in America. He opens by recounting a story he once wrote about a shark killing tournament in Long Island, back in 1980. Back in those days, apparently, researchers would come to the tournaments to necropsy the dead sharks, trying to learn more about the animal that had remained mysterious for so long.

That necropsy data was supposedly useful enough to scientists that the shark killing tournaments were allowed to go on for years. But that tournament Williams described was canceled in 2020, due to public outrage. And according to Williams, many scientists are now saying the data they get from shark necropsies isn’t necessary, thanks to advancements in tagging and tracking sharks.

The rest of his story dives into the reasons shark killing tournaments were held in the first place, as well as their current decline. There’s also a call for more of these tournaments, which is an entirely different angle Williams tackles, as well.

You can read the full story here.