Shark tournament in Brunswick during tourist season comes with biting criticism

Marty Wright, owner of Mad Kingz Tackle in Southport, had planned his own “Shark Week.”

Mad Kingz Shark Week, a week-long, land-based shark fishing tournament, was originally scheduled for July 15-22 — one week ahead of the Discovery Channel’s programming focused on the ocean-dwelling predators.

Soon after the tournament was announced in June, Wright began receiving pushback from concerned citizens and elected officials in several local towns. He was shocked by the response and explained he was simply trying to provide an opportunity for fun and a little competition.

“I did it for my customers,” Wright said. “They’re the ones who wanted to do it. I never knew it would draw this much attention.”

Objections to the tournament ranged from concern for the sharks well-being to the welfare of beachgoers. Officials in Brunswick County’s beach towns urged him to cancel the event. After meeting with Oak Island mayor Elizabeth White, Wright agreed to postpone it.

Oak Island officials weigh in

White addressed the issue during the Oak Island Town Council’s regular meeting on July 12. She joined with mayors from other towns in Brunswick County to draft a letter objecting to the tournament due to public safety. That letter was shared with Wright, and after a conversation with White, he agreed to move the tournament to October 3, which is outside the peak tourist season.

“I want to make it clear that Oak Island supports — fully — the rights of fishing in North Carolina of all kinds,” White said. “This was no effort to try to create prohibitions for fishing on our beaches. Rather, it was the idea of a shark fishing tournament at peak season.”

White added the rescheduled tournament would be held at night, with fishing beginning at 7 p.m., and chumming will not be allowed. She acknowledged shark fishing occurs year-round on Oak Island, and this was just about hosting the tournament in peak season.

White said the town had the support of mayor Jeff Winecoff in Boiling Spring Lakes, mayor Jean Toner in St. James, as well as mayors of the county’s other beach communities.

Oak Island councilor John Bach commended White for getting the tournament rescheduled.

“I can’t think of a more inherently dangerous activity than what was proposed in tourist season,” Bach said. “So, thank you for diverting it to the off-season. It’s just unimaginable that we would invite predators with 30,000 people on the beach.”

While Wright said he agreed to postpone the event, he also pointed out sharks are going to be in the waters off the beach regardless.

“They shark fish every night whether we do a tournament or not,” he said. “The sharks are not coming in because there are 10 pieces of bait floating out there. They’re there because there’s bait fish — usually menhaden — out there.”

Wright also states regardless of the intended catch, the fishermen have a right to have a tournament and fish.

Patricia Smith, spokeswoman for the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, said a fishing tournament license is only required when the catch from the event will be sold. She added that the state does not prohibit shark fishing from the beaches.

Wright said his decision to move the tournament came down to “optics.” He explained that during his conversation with White, she posed the following scenario.

“She said, ‘What if somebody gets bit? Then it looks like it’s y’all’s fault,’ and I said, ‘You’re right. Let’s move it,’” he recalled.

Addressing misconceptions

Though he doesn’t fish for sharks himself, Wright believes a lot of the objections to the tournament are based on misconceptions.

Jeffrey Gaskins, 31, of Southport, is an avid fishermen and plans to participate in the shark tournament. He explained that he often goes shark fishing on Oak Island at night, and he knows several others who shark fish. He noted some of the most vehement objections to the tournament on social media were focused on claims of shark fishermen chumming the waters.

“I don’t know anybody that chums the water,” he said. “There’s no point to it. It’s too expensive.”

When it comes to fishing for sharks, Gaskins said it’s just like any other kind of fishing, just with bigger tackle and bigger bait. Typically, shark fishermen look for oilier fish with a pungent smell, such as bonito or mackerel. Gaskins, a catch-and-release shark fisherman, also tries to do his part to help the species by tagging sharks for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. So far, he’s tagged about a dozen sharks.

Gaskins waits until dusk — when the beaches are mostly empty — to begin shark fishing, and he said he is always responsible, keeping his area clean and free of any fish carcasses. He adds that most of the guys he knows are also responsible fishermen.

Wright also addressed the issue of the tournament being about making money, noting that while there is a $75 entry fee, it’s a “winner take all” tournament.

“I don’t keep one red cent,” he said. “It’s all about doing something for my customers.”

On July 15, there were about 30 fishermen registered to compete in the tournament, and Wright said most live in the area. Only one entrant had come from out of state, and it was someone who was visiting and wanted to participate. When he made the decision to reschedule the tournament, Wright offered to give those who had registered a refund, and so far, no one has asked for one.

When Wright first came up with the idea, he never imagined it would get this much attention. He said he’s just glad he can do this for his customers.

“I just wish we had never put it on social media,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: A planned Shark Week fishing tournament in Brunswick comes with concerns