By Aaron Zubler

The picturesque Martha's Vineyard community of Oak Bluffs played host to the 20th annual Oak Bluffs Monster Shark Tournament July 21-23. The spectacle drew more than one thousand participants from New England and beyond, each hoping to win a piece of the hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money. Prizes were awarded to boats catching the largest sharks over the tournament weekend.

The tournament also drew The Humane Society of the United States, advocating the end of shark contests like this one in Oak Bluffs. In partnership with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, The HSUS took to the water and land in an effort to raise public awareness about the precarious position of shark populations and to expose the cruelty of the tournament in the process. 

Hundreds of residents and tourists joined the animal welfare organizations in expressing opposition to the tournament. Less than a week later, the Oak Bluffs board of selectmen voted unanimously to place a referendum on next year's ballot. The referendum will allow the townspeople to vote on whether the shark tournament has any place in their town.

Confronting Cruelty on the Water

With overcast skies from tropical storm Beryl overhead, The HSUS's Rebecca Aldworth and Andrew Plumbly protested the tournament from an inflatable boat in Oak Bluffs harbor July 21 and 22. The boat's bright yellow ProtectSharks campaign flag reminded tournament sponsors, organizers and participants that the unsportsmanlike spectacle of the tournament would not go unchallenged.

Aldworth and Plumbly also videotaped examples of cruelty epitomizing shark hunts. They witnessed a vessel carrying a still-living 482-pound thresher shark as the boat approached the dock. "We called over to the boat to tell them the shark was still alive, but the only response we received was the insults hurled at us by the shark hunters," Aldworth recounted. "The image of that broken and dying animal gasping for breath as those around him laughed and jeered is something I will never forget."

Garnering Support on the Ground

Hundreds of Oak Bluffs residents and tourists visited The HSUS information table in Post Office Square. Many signed a petition requesting the Oak Bluffs Board of Selectmen bring the issue of whether the shark tournament should continue to a town referendum. Parents came with their children to show their opposition to the tournament’s appalling treatment of sharks.

One resident told us that she had hung a homemade anti-shark-tournament banner from her house overlooking Oak Bluffs harbor. Martha's Vineyard resident Edith Blake told the Boston Globe she opposed the hunt. "I just think it's a sad thing to do to any creature....Anyone has as much right to be on this planet as we do."

"It was heartening to see so many people come out to oppose this despicable event," said John Grandy, HSUS senior vice president for Wildlife and Habitat Protection. "We fully expected islanders and tourists alike to come out and show their support. It’s a testament to their determination. We're here in large part to support the local people who don’t want the tournament to continue in their town."

For years, tournament supporters and organizers ignored public opposition to the contest. The HSUS and MSPCA's presence on Martha's Vineyard during the tournament provided a rallying point for residents and visitors to express their displeasure to the board of selectmen and tournament organizers. Following the close of the tournament, the board of selectmen, once fiercely embattled over the matter, voted unanimously to place the future of the shark tournament in the hands of the voters.