DESTIN, Florida (16 Sep 2006) -- Fishermen know how to lure a crowd to the docks in this Gulf Coast town during a lull in tourism: bring in big sharks and hang them up on display. Locals revived the once-popular Destin Deep Water Shark Tournament this week, and on its first day, it drew several hundred onlookers who scrambled to have their pictures taken with a 656-pound, 11-foot tiger shark strung up by its tail. Many gasped and applauded at the sight. But the tournament also attracted the same type of protests that helped cause its 10-year absence in the Florida Panhandle. Several demonstrators carried signs outside the event and a plane circled overhead Thursday with a sign from the National Humane Society: "End The Cruel Shark Tournament Now." "This is a slaughter. Sharks have a bad reputation because we are afraid they might bite a human. What does this tell our children about biodiversity," said protester Gail Powell, who sneaked into the crowd to take pictures for a Humane Society Web page. Locals don't see it that way. They are counting on the four-day event to fill hotels and restaurants, with the summer tourist season over and the arrival of retired snowbirds from the North and Midwest months away. | | Local Florida promoters sure know how to lure an enthusiastic crowd to the docks during a lull in tourism: Kill big sharks and hang them up on display. Sharks don't glide in the air like the blue marlin -- the ultimate sport fish in these waters -- and they aren't coveted for their taste like red snapper and grouper. "But you can have the prettiest rack of snappers and groupers and if there's a shark up there that's what everyone wants to come and see," said deckhand Ken Blackmon. Destin held the tournament for 20 years before it decided to end it in 1995 after protests and because of smaller and smaller catches, said Bruce Cheves, the tournament's weigh master. |
