1. IGFA rules apply. Among other things,
this means that no cockpit
harpoons are allowed to be used on any sharks
killed for weigh in
(flying gaffs are allowed). Also, line strength above 130
lb test cannot
be used. A copy of the current IGFA rules will be provided in
the
Captain's bags. Official tournament time is local GPS time.
2. Although there can be any number of anglers fishing on a
registered
boat, no more than four (4) lines may be fished from any
boat,
regardless of number of anglers.
3. ONLY ONE shark per boat may be brought to Camp Ellis Pier
for
weighing per day. Exact 1/2 pounds will be rounded up when the shark
is
weighed. A minimum forklength of 4.5 feet is required for all
mako,
porbeagle, or thresher sharks. Do not kill any mako, porbeagle
or
thesher shark with a forklength of less than 4.5 feet as you will
be
subject to a federal fine if you do so!!
4. Although
a forklength of 4.5 feet is the legal harvesting size for
blue sharks as
well, only blue sharks with a fork length of 9.0 feet or
greater may be
weighed in for the blue shark category. This is an
increase in mimimum
forklength size of 0.5 feet from last year (when the
minimum forklength was
set at 8.5 feet for this tournament). Any blue
sharks brought to the weigh-in
with a forklength of LESS than 9.0 feet
(as measured by the tournament
biologists at the dock) will NOT be
counted as points for the team weighing
in that shark. A blue shark with
a fork length of 9.0 feet or greater should
easily weigh 350 lb. or
more, and it is expected that only a few blue sharks
of this size will
be landed off the coast of Maine during this tournament.
All blue sharks
retained during the tournament will be utilized for research
purposes by
Dr. James Sulikowksi and his research team from the University of
New
England’s Marine Science Center.
5. Fishing hours for
tournament will be: Friday, August 22nd: Lines in
at 4:00 a.m, and lines out
on Saturday, August 23rd at 3:00 p.m. If you
are hooked up prior to 3:00 pm
on 8/23, you may continue to fight the
fish, but you STILL MUST HAVE THE
SHARK TO THE WEIGH-IN AT CAMP ELLIS NO
LATER THAN 5:00 PM (see below) FOR IT
TO COUNT IN THE TOURNAMENT
STANDINGS.
6. Weigh in times. A weighmaster for
the tournament will be available
at Camp Ellis Pier in Saco from 5:00 p.m. -
8:00 p.m. on Friday, August
22nd. The weighmaster will also be available from
2:00 - 5:00 pm on
Saturday August 23rd. ALL SHARKS MUST BE WEIGHED IN
DURING THE
DESIGNATED WEIGH IN TIMES - THERE WILL BE NO
EXCEPTIONS!!
7. Selection of Tournament channel will be done at the
Captain's
Meeting on Thursday 8/21/08.
8. All
sharks weighed are subject to inspection by the Tournament
Committee.
Cheating will not be tolerated in this tournament. All sharks
weighed in will
be dissected for research purposes. Any shark found to
be weighted down by
filling the abdominal cavity with water or by the
addition of lead weights,
or any other form of manipulation to
artificially increase the shark’s body
weight will result in the
immediate disqualification of the boat which
brought the shark in.
9. There is no weather
committee, and the decision to fish is left
solely to participants who do so
at their own risk. Traveling out on the
ocean in seas and conditions which
are subject to constant change and
engaging in a fishing tournament which
requires movement and exposure to
these conditions is an inherently dangerous
activity that could result
in severe injury and/or death. All participants
knowingly and willingly
accept these risks. Participants represent that they
are in good health
sufficient to withstand the rigorous nature of this
activity and are
knowledgeable about safe fishing practices and boating
safety.
10. Any protest must be made in writing and
presented to the Tournament
Committee no later than 5:00 p.m. on Saturday,
8/23/08.
11. All Tournament Committee decisions are
final. There are no
refunds.
12. All fish weighed
in for prize consideration must be caught by a
registered fisherman fishing
from a registered boat. This is a boat
tournament, but the names of all
persons fishing from a registered boat
must be supplied to the tournament
officials at the Captain's dinner
(this is due to requirements from the
company insuring the Grand prize
for any new Maine state record shark). Only
in the event of a mechanical
failure may participants registered to fish from
one registered vessel
be allowed to fish from another registered vessel. The
Tournament
Committee
must be advised in writing prior to a vessel change.
13. All participants are responsible for getting the information
and
rules reviewed at the Captains Meeting on Thursday, 8/21/08.
14. A sportsmanlike conduct ashore and afloat is required of
all
participants and their guests. This is a tournament to have lots of
fun
and benefit kids and families at the same time * lets set a
good
example for them.
