Oak Bluffs Monster Shark Tournament 2013

 27th Annual Monster Shark Tournament

Date: 18. – 20. July 2013. Two fishing days ( 19. and 20. July ).

Location: Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA.

porbeagle oak bluffs tourney 2013

Tournament Results :

A total of 12 sharks were weighed in over two days:

Eight specimens ( six makos and two porbeagles ) on 19. July

and four specimens ( one mako and three porbeagles ) on 20. July.

Winning Boats:

1st Place:  Magellan   ( 742 Points )
2nd Place:  Karen Jean II   ( 673 Points )
3rd Place:  Fish On   ( 391 Points )

1st Day Weigh-ins – 19. July 2013 :

Species: Porbeagle shark ( Lamna nasus )
Weight: 429 lbs
Angler: Dan Lundy
Boat: Magellan

Species: Porbeagle (Lamna nasus)
Weight: 361 lbs
Boat: Karen Jean II

Species: Shortfin mako shark ( Isurus oxyrinchus )
Weight: 244 lbs
Boat: Tokatomist

Species: Shortfin mako shark ( Isurus oxyrinchus )
Weight: 226 lbs
Boat: Fourtunate

Species: Shortfin mako shark ( Isurus oxyrinchus )
Weight: 219 lbs
Boat: Chasing Tales

Species: Shortfin mako shark ( Isurus oxyrinchus )
Weight: 202 lbs
Boat: Double Diamond

Species: Shortfin mako shark ( Isurus oxyrinchus )
Weight: 160 lbs
Boat: Gotta Do
Note: Penalized 100 Points, minimum weight for Mako is 200 lbs

Species: Shortfin mako shark ( Isurus oxyrinchus )
Weight: 157 lbs
Boat: American Mustang
Note: Penalized 100 Points, minimum weight for Mako is 200 lbs

2nd Day Weigh-ins – 20. July 2013

Species: Porbeagle (Lamna nasus)
Weight: 391 lbs
Boat: Fish On

Species: Porbeagle (Lamna nasus)
Weight: 313 lbs
Angler: Dan Lundy
Boat: Magellan

Species: Porbeagle (Lamna nasus)
Weight: 312 lbs
Boat: Karen Jean II

Species: Shortfin mako shark ( Isurus oxyrinchus )
Weight: 187 lbs
Boat: Done Deal
Note: Disqualified

Note:

You can find last year’s tournament results in our related post

26th Annual Oak Bluffs Monster Shark Tournament

Related Video by Christy Aumer ( uploaded by mvtimes on 22.07.2013 )

Jason Pillsbury, Captain on the Magellan, talks about his win at his
first Monster Shark Tournament. This year marked the 27th year the tournament has been in Oak Bluffs, MA.

 

 

19 Comments

  1. Laurie

    27 years of killing sharks for sport. That might have been fine when sharks were plentiful. Now it’s a travesty. Ugh, these men make me sick.

    • Rachel

      Though these men may kill the sharks just to do so, they let scientific researchers from various institutions take what they need from the sharks to learn more about them and see what pollutants are affecting them. Not only that, the fishermen use every part of the shark for something, and there are strict guidelines on length and weight in order to avoid catching sharks in their prime of reproduction.

      • I’m not saying that there is no good to come from samples taken from landed sharks or that there are no guidelines to the ones that are taken. But I would love to know how truly beneficial this information is vs. the # of sharks landed in years and years of these tournaments. Regarding every part of the shark being used, I’m sure those jaws and teeth look good on their walls and in their souvenir cases. As far as pollutants go, I just hope they aren’t eating the meat. We should all know by now that many shark species are full of mercury and the consuption of shark and shark products is linked to ALS and Alzheimer’s.

    • UnkEd

      Laurie, what about the Japanese who net hundreds of Sharks at a time, brutally chop off their fins for soup & dump them back to die in the sea. Do they “Make You Sick”?…

      • Laurie

        Yep, UnkEd, that’s the reason I’m here. Yep, all those involved in the brutal shark fin trade make me sick. More than the shark tournament contestants, that is true. But fishing for animals already in trouble for money and bragging rights, to me, is wrong.

  2. 27 years of killing sharks for sport. That might have been fine when they were plentiful. Now, these tournaments are a travesty.

  3. Matt

    CITIES appendix 2 mean anything to these gunslinging cowboys? 

  4. It is hard to understand that the so-called experts are in favor of this shark killing festival. From what I hear there are even marine biologists, who call themselves experts, involved in this sorry event. What are those people thinking?

    • Joe

      Yes Marine biologists attend, and they are the experts.  Look I am not condoning the killing of these great animals.  However, the biologists are there to take advantage of the opportunity to study what they can from a shark that would otherwise go to waste.  I am willing to bet that they are not in favor of the tournament, but use it as a platform to spread awareness about the plight of sharks.

  5. Hi Joe, that may be true but I am against killing animals to gain knowledge from studying them. How can you spread awareness about the plight of sharks by allowing people to kill them? Everybody who knows anything about sharks knows that many of them are endangered. Do you really think that killing rhinos and elephants would make people aware of their situation, and that killing them for fun will help to protect them? So why is it different with sharks? This is a spectacle of killing for fun and money and I don’t think that this public killing spree will help them. It also sends the wrong message to children, who will learn that killing animals is fun. Just look at the photos they take.

  6. Hi Joe, that may be true but I am against killing animals to gain knowledge from studying them. How can you spread awareness about the plight of sharks by allowing people to kill them? Show me one single important scientific result from this senseless killing festival. There is no other reason than fun and money.

  7. Mike Barrie

    what great pity they do not just measure the sharks tag them and release them for another day .Here in Northern Ireland we tag and release all sharks Porbeagle and Blue also Tope .

    Irish Elasmobranch Group take a look at the site there is a page with the tracker showing where the Porbeagle caught over the last month and satellite tagged are at the moment.

  8. Al

    Tournament Sampling

    Historically, species-specific landings data from recreational fisheries is lacking for sharks. In an effort to augment these data, the NEFSC has been attending recreational shark tournaments continuously since 1961 collecting data on species, sex, and size composition from individual events; in some cases, for over 45 years. In addition, these tournaments provide a source of samples for pelagic and some coastal sharks to aid in our biological research. Analysis of these tournament landings data was initiated by creating a database of historic information (1961-2009) and producing preliminary summaries of one long-term tournament. The collection and analysis of these data are critical for input into species and age specific population and demographic models for shark management. In 2009, biological samples for life history studies and catch and morphometric data for more than 200 pelagic sharks were collected at 10 recreational fishing tournaments in the northeastern United States. Participation at recreational shark tournaments and the resultant information is very valuable as a monitoring tool to provide long-term data that can detect trends in species and size composition, provide valuable specimens and tissue for life history and genetic studies, provide outreach opportunities for recreational fishermen and the public, and finally, to provide additional information on movements that complement the NMFS Cooperative Shark Tagging Program (CSTP).

    http://na.nefsc.noaa.gov/sharks/tourney.html

    • Edward Wright

      I’m not sure if your post is an attempt to justify these tournaments or not? Either way the statement is absolutely correct but every useful piece of information that can be gained from these tournaments DOES NOT require the sharks to be killed as this this competition. It is easy to sex, measure and weigh the sharks before safely returning them to the water. In addition, if the sharks are returned then even more could then be gained from tagging the sharks.

  9. julie brown

    CITIES appendix 2? No? Never heard of it? Perfect. Kill away. Your grandkids will be proud of you.

  10. Paul

    You people are acting like this tournament kills thousands of sharks… i believe 12 sharks were brought into weigh in. which is a nothing compared to the millions of sharks the Japs kill, take the fins and dump there (still alive) bodies overboard to suffocate and drown

    • Laurie

      12 sharks, eh, that’s nothing. But how many of these tournaments are happening around the world every day? Do the math. There is a compounding effect that no one thinks about. People just think of themselves and what they’re doing. Think about what’s going on with the shark fin trade, all the overfishing and illegal fishing, and all the tournaments. EVERY DAY. It all adds up and contributes to the problem.

  11. Real men don’t kill sharks, they jump right in and swim with them. That way we get to know sharks, so that we can convince the people that sharks are not the man-eaters that many people think they are. We can also convince people that we have to stop killing them for fun and money, because sharks are too important in the ocean to be killed for that. Also, nobody can convince me, that sharks need to be killed for scientific purposes. That pack of lies has already been claimed by the Japanese whalers. So, what reason is there other than fun and money? One of the best shark scientists in the world, Dr. Samuel Gruber in Bimini, has probably done more research with sharks than most scientists and he has produced real results. I don’t think that he has ever willingly killed a shark to get those results. Keeping that in mind, what’s the excuse for shark tournaments?

    • Hello

      So how’s that going Jupp “convince the people that sharks are not the man-eaters that many people think they are”.
      I ask because I have never come across anyone thinking sharks are man-eaters. If people do not want to enter the water let them stay on land. Only those making money from people entering water should be concerned if someone enters the water or not. Only a real man surfs with sharks or dives with them in murky water.

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