OFFICIAL SET OF RULES
All United States Federal Bluefin Tuna regulations apply to this tournament. Tag and Release is the preferred method except for tunas that are in contention for winning this tournament.
This is a release tournament due to NMFS change in the Angling category. This tournament is open to all categories due to the fact that all categories are capable of releasing and tagging.
1. Weather. This is a Captains choice tournament. Advisories of the weather conditions will be broadcast and are for the protection of the anglers. Decisions to fish or not to fish will be at the discretion of the captain. FISH AT YOUR OWN RISK.
2. Minimum Length per federal Bluefin regulations: 27 inches CFL (recreational and charter/head boat), 73 inches CFL (general category). You must release fish that are not Minimum lengths for each category. Please check updated regulations on the NMFS website.
3. Species eligible: Bluefin tunas only.
4. Test: 300 pound mono is the maximum test of manufacturers stated line. Proof of purchase may be required for inspection by the tournament committee.
5. Boundaries: Latitude 41° - 59'N, Longitude 69° - 50'W by Latitude 41° - 10'N, Longitude 69° - 50'W. The Eastern line is 60 miles directly east of Great Point Light House on Nantucket. All waters between these coordinates are fare game until till you hit the eastern line north to south.
6. All boats must meet U.S. Coast Guard Requirements and are the sole responsibility of the boat owner.
7. This is a rod and reel tournament. No airplanes, greensticks or other fishing gear will be permitted for this tournament. Non-electrified harpoons, flying gaffs and straight gaffs are permitted.
8. This is a boat trolling tournament, no chucking, live baiting, kites, greensticks or any other means of catching a tuna besides pulling of lures, rigs, or trolling of dead baits. There is to be no bump trolling of any kind, the boat must be in gear and a forward motion at the time of the hook up.
9. Fishing Hours: Boats may leave the docks before sunrise. Lines in will be one half hour prior to sunrise and lines out are 3:00 PM on both days. In the case of a hook up prior to the lines out time line of 3:00pm on Saturday and Saturday, only the boat that is hooked up must radio to the committee boat that they are hooked up and will be fighting the fish past the lines out time of 3:00pm. If and when the fish is landed please again radio or relay to the committee boat that you have landed or not landed the fish so that proper measures can be made for the weigh master to be at the weigh in station and to inform Committee officials that you and your crew are safe. If you have declared that you are fighting a fish past the 3:00 PM lines out you will be eligible to weigh that fish in after the scale closing of 6:30 PM on Saturday day of fishing, Sunday scale will close at 6:30 PM so as to calculate the winners.
10. The weigh in station will open at 2:30 PM and will close at 6:30 PM sharp. All boats that are in line prior to 6:30 PM will have their catch weighed-in even if it is after 6:30 PM. Please radio the weigh master on channel 68 VHF when you are near the NB buoy located at the end of the jetties. This will ensure that the weigh master is present when you arrive.
11. There will be no terminator or terminator line. The closing of the weigh-in station at 6:30 PM signifies the end of the day’s fishing.
12. All tunas over tournament minimum lengths must be brought to the weigh-in station in Nantucket. Tunas cannot be off loaded from a boat until a member of the tournament staff verifies the tuna that will be weighed in and will hand the boat a slip of paper with the name of the boat and the weight of the tuna.
13. There will be no transfer of fish from one boat to another. The boat that caught the fish must bring the fish to the weigh in station.
14. Scoring system: 1 point per release will be awarded to the boat that releases the fish. A digital photo of that fish including the number of fingers that correlate to the fish that has been caught. IE. Fish number one, one finger, fish number two, two fingers, ETC. All boats that are in contention for winning must show digital picture proof to the weight master and committee to ensure that the pictures correlate to the number of fish declared.
15. The decision of the weigh master is final and cannot be appealed.
16. The following situation will disqualify a catch. “Mutilation to the fish, prior to landing or boating the catch, caused by sharks, other fish, mammals or propellers that remove or penetrate the flesh.” (Injuries caused by leader or line, scratches, old healed scars or regeneration of deformities are not considered to be disqualifying injuries)” (IGFA rule)
17. Protests. All protests must be in writing and handed to the Tournament Director prior to the 6:30 PM closing of the weigh-in station. All protests must be accompanied by $ 100 in cash (to be returned if the protest is upheld). In case more than one boat signs the protest, each boat will provide $ 100 (to be returned if the protest is upheld). All team members will agree with the final decision of the Tournament Director.
18. The rules that govern this tournament are the rules. Any changes made to these rules will be distributed at least two weeks prior to the start of the tournament. Once the tournament starts there will be no changes to the rules and the tournament will be fished under the agreed upon rules.
19. IGFA angling rules will apply if you are angling for an IGFA record. All crew members and anglers are expected to be familiar with IGFA rules. The angler must hook, fight and bring the fish to gaff unaided by any other person. No one other than the angler may touch the rod. A copy of the current IGFA rules will be provided to every boat.
20. The Final set of Rules that govern this tournament will be posted and is
considered to be the Official set of rules for the tournament.
21. Channel 78 will be the official VHF channel for the tournament. All fish must be called in or relayed to another boat by the boat that has landed or released the fish. The current un-official number of released tuna will be broadcast to ensure that everyone is aware of the score. We ask the help of captains with relaying of fish to the committee boat or to the tournament directors. All boats will be responsible for turning in a fully executed catch/release sheet at the end of each fishing day; sheets must be signed and dated by the captain of the boat.
22. As per NMFS rules and regulations, there is to be no switching of fish, once a fish is boated that fish belongs to the captain and boat in which the permit is issued. All fish that are in contention must be radioed or relayed to the committee boat. This will ensure that your fish is logged and that there is no monkey business of a smaller fish being released for a larger fish. THIS IS PER THE RULES OF NMFS.
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