Steven James, 53, of Marshfield, and a partner died after going on a duck hunt early Tuesday morning. A third man was rescued by the Coast Guard and hospitalized with hypothermia.
The organizer of the annual Oak Bluffs Monster Shark Tournament was one of two men who died Tuesday after their skiff overturned in the Westport River in bitter conditions.
Steven James, 53, of Marshfield, and Robert Beecher, 55, of Cromwell, Conn., died after going on a duck hunt on the river early Tuesday morning, according to a press release from Bristol County district attorney C. Samuel Sutter. A third man, Gregg Angell, 51, of Westport, was hospitalized with hypothermia-type symptoms and is expected to survive, the press release said.
The Coast Guard said it received a report about the overturned boat at about 9 a.m. A Coast Guard helicopter crew located the two deceased hunters about a half mile away from the overturned skiff.
The Coast Guard said that at the time of the rescue, the air temperature was eight degrees and the water temperature 35 degrees with 30-knot winds.
Mr. James was well-known on the Island as the president of the Boston Big Game Fishing Club, which has held the annual Monster Shark Tournament on the Oak Bluffs Harbor every July for the last 27 years.
Mr. James’s death was a topic of discussion following the Oak Bluffs selectmen’s meeting Tuesday.
The tournament, which awarded prizes for catching the largest sharks, drew large crowds to the Oak Bluffs harbor. For a few years, ESPN broadcast the action.
While crowds filled the harbor to watch sharks being weighed in, some protested the event. After townwide discussions last year, Oak Bluffs voted to make the tournament catch and release only in a nonbinding referendum. It wasn’t clear if the tournament would return to Oak Bluffs in 2014, though Mr. James had said he was thinking about moving the tournament to Newport, R.I.
Over the years, Mr. James criticized the tournament’s opponents, noting that most of the sharks caught were released and the tournament, which limited which shark species could be caught, did not have an impact on shark species. In 2012, he told the Gazette that he was an advocate for the health of shark species, and that the tournament meets federal and state guidelines.
“We’ve taken it from a modest tournament to a world class production,” he told the Gazette in 2002. “We’re one of the best resources for shark tagging and overall research for the state.”
Comments
If this indeed is a news
Henry Emmet BostonIf this indeed is a news story, and not an obituary, I take exception with the editing, the favorable slant and ancient selective quotes. This man was the focus of a firestorm of opposition and controversy because of his business.
Agree with Henry Emmet......I
Happy for the SharksAgree with Henry Emmet......I have been somewhat surprised at the flattering write ups with both the Times and the Gazettes. This man was highly contentious, there is a strong opposing view of him and there are many other comments that could have and should have been quoted to address both sides of this issue if this was not an obituary. Absent that, these one sided comments should not have been made.
I can't believe you would
Heartless West TisburyI can't believe you would publish such heartless comments from those who possess no soul.
Heartless, that is a stunning
Happy for the SharksHeartless, that is a stunning response towards readers who are simply looking for the newspapers to accurately report a story without bias. A clear reading of our comments indicates that this is our concern. It is the obligation of newspapers to remain neutral in their presentation of a story, and to present both sides if it is a situation where there are opposing points of view. As mentioned, this was not an obituary, it was a news report. Your claim that the two commentators before you have no soul is unfounded and judgmental without any logical basis. If one wants to deal with issues of the "soul"......let's spend a moment to think of the soul of someone who slaughters other living creatures (who are simply going about living and enjoying their lives that they are entitled to live) over and over again - in the name of "sport" and financial profit. Heartless here? No soul? Quite to the contrary, and that is why this now deceased individual is so controversial. Many of us who do have a soul and do have a heart have been sickened for years about the amount of slaughter of other living creatures this man has been engaging in. Moving forward, I hope that you will open you mind to the fact that others will not always agree with your opinions and that others have the absolute right to reach out to their local newspaper for unbiased and full reporting. That does not make those individuals heartless or without a soul. Thank you for your consideration.
I've considered your comments
Heartless West TisburyI've considered your comments and still believe there's a darkness inside you that I can't understand. I feel sorry for you. A man has died and you have chosen to make his passing a political moment. I'm sorry for your loss of humanity.
The Times did a much better
Chip Conlyn OBThe Times did a much better job of presenting the unvarnished story of the Shark Tournament controversy.
I agree with the first two
Up Island ReaderI agree with the first two postings. This is not an obituary. The paper should have presented this event differently. I am also surprised that the paper has allowed the postings of Heartless that launches unwarranted personal attacks on another poster who is only making a valid observation. Two fails here, Gazette
You're all hilariously narrow
Seasonal EdgartownerYou're all hilariously narrow-minded. There's a time and place for splitting hairs of a contentious issue facing the community, a story about a tragic death is not one of them. Even if it wasn't an "obituary" by the standards set by the associated press stylebook, the gazette made the proper call to announce this man's death without running him over at the same time. Think about what they could all say about us when our time comes...
Unfortunately the Vineyard is
Cyndi Los Angeles, CAUnfortunately the Vineyard is not my home, but if it was, the shark tournament (or any so-called sport hunting event) as mentioned in the article would have sickened me. If the tournament was Mr. James' business, it makes sense for the Gazette to report on it but also give equal time to any valid opposition. Mr. James chose controversial activities as a living. I support the comment from "Happy for the Sharks", and I have a soul.
Cyndi, if you lived here I'm
Heartless West TisburyCyndi, if you lived here I'm sure you would be equally sickened by our annual Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. For the last 67 years thousands of fisherman converge on the island for a 6 week period of killing fish. Somehow it's not at all controversial nor does it contribute anywhere near the scientific research that the shark tournament produces.
Where were some of you folks
capt767 oak bluffsWhere were some of you folks born? In a barn? I also did not agree with the shark festivities also, however, let's keep politic and personal thought unless good ones away from this, please!!!!
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