A group of anglers in KwaZulu Natal are planning a shark fishing competition on August 18-19, 2007. Advertised in the Natal Deep Sea Rod and Reel Club newsletter, they will catch and kill the sharks, not tag and release them. Their motivation is that their catches are often taken by sharks and “a number of anglers have now got together to find out for themselves what is going on with regards to the shark numbers,” to quote from their newsletter. Please help by joining the African Ocean Alliance’s petition to stop this “charity” event from taking place.

Update (Aug. 16): The tournament has been postponed, possibly to be rescheduled as a catch-and-release event later this year.