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| Overbee |
| Charlee Overbee protests the shark tournament. |
By Andrea Cimino
On March 13, 2007, The Destin History and Fishing Museum unanimously voted to end its sponsorship of the Destin Deep Water Shark Tournament, marking the end to a six-month long campaign by the Humane Society of the United States' Wildlife and Habitat Protection Section, our Southeast Regional Office, and local activists and conservationists.
"We commend the Destin board members for being open to change and for voting to end the tournament," said Dr. John Grandy, senior vice president for Wildlife and Habitat Protection for The HSUS.
The 2006 tournament was the first after a 10-year moratorium caused by concerns over decreasing shark populations in the Gulf of Mexico, and many residents of this Emerald Coast community questioned whether reviving the tournament was a wise idea. Shark populations have not increased since then. In fact, in February 2007, the IUCN's Shark Specialist Group found that the status of sharks was deteriorating.
The HSUS wrote to Destin Mayor Craig Barker, urging him to cancel the tournament. When he refused, The HSUS, with the support of conservationist M.C. Davis, flew a protest banner over the Destin Harbor, placed advertisements in local media outlets, and supported local residents who demonstrated at the tournament.
Residents photographed some of the sharks that were killed. The images of the severe mutilation of a hammerhead shark and the dead pregnant tiger shark caused outrage and demonstrated that criticism that the tournament were more about cruelty than "sport" was well-founded. The resulting media coverage put pressure on the mayor and the museum to reconsider their support for such a cruel event.
Inspired by other Florida communities that have embraced wildlife festivals that celebrate rather than kill wildlife—such as San Antonio's gopher tortoise festival and Umatilla's black bear festival—The HSUS offered Mayor Barker and the museum's board its support and sponsorship for a shark celebration event that would teach the community about the important role sharks play in the marine ecosystem and the threats to their survival. The mayor has indicated interest in such a proposal, and The HSUS looks forward to working with him on the project.
Matt and Charlee Overbee, two Destin residents who demonstrated against the tournament last September, said the decision to call off the tournament "makes us very proud to be Destin residents. We are proud to be residents of a city that is leading the way on ending to this senseless slaughter of sharks, while in turn preserving the ecosystem for future generations."
Gail Powell, the HSUS member who spearheaded the campaign to end the tournament, said, "Shark tournaments endorse the irresponsible killing of sharks, and I commend the Destin History and Fishing Museum and the mayor for listening to the people and stopping future tournaments. Destin is one of the first fishing communities to step forward and put shark conservation first."
Like the Overbees and Powell, The HSUS hopes the recent actions in Destin will result in other coastal communities re-thinking their support for shark tournaments.
Learn more about how you can help end shark tournaments in your community.
Andrea Cimino is a campaign coordinator in the Wildlife and Habitat Protection section of The HSUS.
