Shark Tourneys Should Be Extinct

With some species on endangered lists, others depleted, it's time to end the big- money killing orgies. What will they hunt when the sharks are gone? Which will be the next species pursued to extinction in the name of sport and piles of money? For the shark hunters, it's no longer a theoretical question. Their prey is disappearing fast. Still, for these high-stakes fishermen, the game goes on as if nothing has changed. Anglers will assemble in Montauk for the Star Island Yacht Club's 21st annual Shark Tournament this weekend. They'll head out to sea, seeking the big pelagic species, deep-water sharks whose numbers are crashing precipitously. Some will go for the thrill of it, looking for the adrenaline rush of landing a big, dangerous fish - oblivious to the fate of the species worldwide and to the role that the predator fish play in balancing the ocean's ecosystems...