Below is an excerpt from the 2007 November issue of Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine of which Billy Sandifer has an contributing article published each issue.
The fourth annual Sharkathon was held on PINS on 8 and 9 September. A total of 370 anglers entered and the largest shark prize money was won by Shawncy Perez with an 83” bull shark. This is a catch and release only tournament and I dearly wish other tournaments would adopt this format. There was quite a bit of grumbling on internet message boards about trash left after the event and I want to clearly state here and now that they were false. I saw two minimally trashed camp sites following the event and have no way of knowing if they were in the event or not as it was a busy weekend on PINS. Far more trash was left the following weekend by your regular campers than during Sharkathon.
My one pet peeve with the Sharkathon event is the blatant blocking of the beach by a large percentage of their campsites. I have contacted organizers of the event concerning this problem and they are already working to alleviate this issue during upcoming events. The blockages are simply to make things more convenient for the contestants in these camps and it is at a loss and hardship of all other beach travelers. Although it seems to be becoming the norm among young shark fishers to block the beach it has never been acceptable; it’s wrong, and it’s disrespectful to others who have as much right to use the resource and travel there as shark fishers do. If this event is to continue to receive my support this matter must be dealt with. I commend Sharkathon organizers for once again donating $1500 of the proceeds of the event to the “Park Watch” program designed to help stop violation of game laws, vandalism and other illegal activities. Unlike Sharkathon there will soon occur a San Antonio-based tournament on PINS and this one has along record of being totally without saving graces and yearn for the day it is totally displaced by Sharkathon.
In response to Billy’s issues with blocking the beach from the organizers at Sharkathon:
We strive to bring the best out of our participants and teach everyone to be a steward for the resource that we all love here on this island. While we cannot control each and every camps activity the park service has issued new rules that will be in effect before the next event making it a ticketable offence to block the roadway and hinder traffic. We will be in close communication with the park staff during future events and any participant who is cited for any offence during the event will be disqualified from the event. We will of course try to share the knowledge of the proper beach etiquette to our participants and it will be a major focus during next year’s event.