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Community Corner

"Monster Shark" Tournament Organizer to Meet with Oak Bluffs Selectmen

Thursday afternoon, the Oak Bluffs Board of Selectmen will meet in public session to discuss the upcoming Monster Shark Fishing Tournament with organizer Steven James.

The , is scheduled to meet with Oak Bluffs selectmen April 4 at 4:30 p.m. in the town library.

At their last meeting, the board of selectmen voted to approve James's application for this year's tournament only on the condition that he would make himself available for a face-to-face discussion within two weeks (See Oak Bluffs Demands Meeting with "Monster Shark" Chief, March 27).

The fact that James was not present when his application came before them at that meeting did not sit well with selectmen, who said they had a number of questions about the event.

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Among their concerns were the use of town property for weighing sharks and selling merchandise, and crowd control.

Click here to see the agenda for Thursday's public meeting with James.

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A non-binding referendum on the upcoming town meeting warrant asks voters to require that the shark tournament be operated on a catch-and-release basis in future years. (See Michael West's blog post Oak Bluffs Has a Choice: Please Vote Yes on Question 2.)

This year's Monster Shark Fishing Tournament is set for July 18, 19 and 20.

For more about the tournament, please see:

  • Shark Tournament Organizer Bites Back
  • Photo Gallery: Monster Shark Tournament
  • Monster Shark Tournament: Awesome or Awful?
  • Shark-killing for Hedonistic Sport and Obscene Profit (blog post)
  •  (blog post)

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