Remember that recent video of fishermen infamously dragging a shark behind their speedboat?
Well, looks like at least one tournament doesn’t want anything to do with them.
Organizers of the Sarasota Slam fishing tournament that’s going on this week put out a statement that reads:
“We, the Manatee-Sarasota Building Industry Association (MSBIA) and our fishing tournament Sarasota Slam, has been implicated by association with a now-infamous video of 3 young men dragging a shark by boat.
“The video tape footage revealed one of the men in the video was wearing one of our fishing shirts. They are not a member of the MSBIA. We are making this statement because our association has been under attack via social media, emails and phone calls from the public and from media outlets, both local and beyond.
“We want the public to know that the MSBIA does not stand for, nor condones, this type of behavior and has been swift in its actions in banning these young men from participating in the Sarasota Slam. We are providing information to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and cooperating with their investigation. We will not be providing any names, or any other information, except to the appropriate authorities.
“We take pride that our tournament is safe and family-friendly, donates a portion of proceeds to charity, and follows all NOAA and Billfish Foundation rules and regulations. We expect all anglers in the tournament to also comply with FWC Commission rules and regulations.”
For more info about the Sarasota Slam, go to the tournament’s website at sarasotaslam.com.
