Promoter Newton Rodriguez isn’t new to the shark hunting business. He organized a shark hunt after the release of 1975 movie “Jaws” to promote tourism to his native Dominican Republic. Rodriguez claimed that the movie made people afraid and claimed that the chest thumping that ensued after their shark-killing spree was successful in restoring confidence. “It was the awakening of Dominican tourism. People began returning to the beach and people from all over the world began to visit us,” he said.
Idiot.
Now he is at it again with a plan to organize another shark hunt to promote Barcelo Rum. Sharks of 100 pounds (45 kilograms) would be the prize. Dr. Bautista Rojas Gomez, Dominican Republic’s minister of environmental affairs, has (happily) put the kibosh on Rodriguez’s plans.
73 million sharks are killed every year, mostly for their fins. The shark fin industry has decimated shark populations, driving many species to the brink of extinction.