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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 35 Number 12
August 2008
Tag-a-Tiny Tourney to benefit LPRC bluefin research
GLOUCESTER, MA – There’s nothing quite as satisfying as working for a good cause, especially with there’s a little fun, a lot of action, and a bunch of potential prizes in the offing.
That’s what the North Shore Community Tuna Association (NSCTA) and RockOn Products have teamed up to offer bluefin tuna fishermen through the Tag-a-Tiny Tournament scheduled for Aug. 21-24.
The beneficiary of proceeds from the tournament is the Large Pelagics Research Center (LPRC) at the University of New Hampshire.
“We are looking forward with great anticipation and are thrilled to have this event lined up with our long-term supporters from the commercial and recreational sectors,” said LPRC Director and long-time bluefin tuna researcher Molly Lutcavage.
The LPRC, which carries out valuable bluefin tuna tagging projects and migration studies and supports other bluefin research, found out in June that it would receive no funding this year from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
Tournament organizers – NSCTA President Mark Godfried and RockOn co-founder fisherman Richard Burgess – said they came up with the tournament idea as a way to raise money to help Lutcavage, her staff, and graduate students continue their work.
Besides competitive fishing, activities will include a Texas Hold’em Tournament on the evening of Aug. 22 and a celebration dinner and awards ceremony at the end of the weekend on Aug. 24. Both events will take place at Gloucester House Restaurant.
Details
While the tournament base is in Gloucester, fishermen from Maine to Florida are being encouraged to participate.
“We are hoping through the magic of the Internet and digital photography to have a coastwide tagging effort and fund-raiser for Molly’s program,” said Godfried.
Participants may register in these boat categories: small for vessels 26' and under; large for vessels over 26'; and charter.
While tournament fishermen may retain fish according to NMFS trip and size limits, the prizes will go to the top three boats in each category based on the highest number of juvenile bluefin tagged and released. Dated digital photos will be required for each fish tagged to verify the count.
There also will be a commercial kill category for giant bluefin with a prize for the largest fish landed.
Sign up
The registration fee is $200 per entrant and includes four meal tickets, a tagging kit, and sponsor gifts. All proceeds from boat entries will go directly to the LPRC.
In addition to NSCTA and RockOn, as of mid-July sponsors included: attorneys Stephen Ouellette and David Smith of Fishlaw; Grady-White Boats; Gloucester Seafood Display Auction; Gloucester House Restaurant; Captain Carlo’s Restaurant, Commercial Fisheries News; On the Water Media; Madfish Grill, Intershell; the Billfish Foundation; and Seaboard Products Co., distributors of Anheuser Busch products.
Other contributors included Saco Bay Tackle, First Light Anglers, and Three Lanterns Ship Supply.
Tournament registration forms are available online at <www.rockonproducts.com>.
To sign on as a sponsor call Mark Godfried at (978) 317-1797 or e-mail him at <tagatiny@gmail.com>. /cfn/
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