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MidAtlantic Tuna Tournament

June 20 - June 24, 2018

Tournament Rules

  1. TIMES & BOUNDARIES

  2. 1. All boats must sail from and return to Cape May Inlet.
  3. 2. Boats fishing 11 hour trips (Day) are not permitted to clear the Cape May Sea Buoy prior to 12:00 AM on each scheduled fishing day. Boats fishing 22 hour trips (Overnight) are not permitted to clear the Cape May Sea Buoy prior to 1:30 PM on each scheduled fishing day.
  4. 3. For Boats Fishing 11 hour trips (Day) fishing begins at 4:30 AM on each scheduled fishing day. For Boats Fishing 22 hour trips (Overnight) fishing begins at 5:30 PM on each scheduled fishing day. No lines, chum, or bait of any kind may be put into the water prior to this time.
  5. 4. For Boats Fishing 11 hour trips (Day) & 22 hour trips (Overnight) fishing ends at 3:30 PM on each scheduled fishing day. Any fish hooked prior to the deadline may be played until boated or released, provided that said fish is announced hooked on the tournament channel before the deadline.
  6. 5. Boundaries for the tournament will be 100 nautical miles from the Cape May Sea Buoy.
  7. 6. Weigh-in begins at 5:00 PM. All eligible fish must be available for weigh-in at Canyon Club Resort Marina by 8:00 PM aboard the boat on which they were caught.
  8. 7. Each boat must pick either one overnight trip or two day trips by submitting the official Fish-Day Form prior to leaving the dock on the day selected. Said forms must be either physically delivered by a member of the boat’s crew to the dockmaster’s office at South Jersey Marina or Canyon Club Resort Marina OR photographed and texted to the Tournament Director.
  9. The boat must be dockside when the fish day is declared. Any boat not submitting the form will be assumed to be laying on that day. Boats may not fish on a lay day unless all of their available fish days have been used. Boats with mechanical problems or other emergencies may use lay days to arrive late to the tournament so long as it is with the advance permission of the Tournament Directors and they conform with all other rules. To withdraw a Fish Day Form the boat must be dockside and the Tournament Directors notified within three hours after fishing beginning on the day selected.

  10. ANGLING/FISHING

  11. 8. Participants shall comply with I.G.F.A. equipment and angling rules with the following exceptions: A) A fish may be hooked by someone other than the angler provided the rod is immedi- ately transferred to the angler after hook-up. From that time on, the angler must fight the fish alone until boated or released. B) No harpoons, dart gaffs or greensticks. C) Spreader bars with hooks ARE permitted. The Tournament Directors retain sole authority for interpreting and implementing the I.G.F.A.’s rules.
  12. 9. There is no limit on the number of lines or teasers.
  13. 10. All fish boated over 75 lbs. must be reported over the tournament channel at the time of the catch.
  14. 11. There are 4 available “Day” fishing options and 3 available “Overnight” fishing options for the tournament. Boats may choose either 2 of the available days or 1 of the available overnights, captains’ choice; no weather committee. The crew members of each individual boat will be solely responsible for the decision as to which day or night to fish.
  15. 12. Anglers may not switch to another boat nor can anyone from another boat come aboard to assist in fighting or boating a fish.

  16. SCORING/PRIZES

  17. 13. Only one day need be fished for the tournament to be considered official and prizes to be awarded.
  18. 14. Qualifying tuna species are Bigeye and Yellowfin. Bluefin Tuna will not be eligible for awards in this tournament.
  19. 15. Boats may weigh up to 3 Yellowfin and 3 Bigeye per fish day. Overnight trips will count as two fish days. Participants will be given tags which must be securely attached to each fish prior to being weighed and should include boat number and trip type identified.
  20. 16. Fractional weights will be rounded to the nearest pound.
  21. 17. Up to 4 fish will be counted towards each stringer Calcutta.
  22. 18. In the event of a tie in the cash prize categories, the prize money will be equally divided between those tying.
  23. 19. In the event that all places are not filled the unwon prize money will be proportionally divided among the winners of that prize.
  24. 20. In the event that no qualifying fish are caught in a Calcutta, the entry fee for that Calcutta will be returned.
  25. 21. In order to be eligible for awards, prizes, and calcuttas, fish must be caught in compliance with all tournament rules. Said rules include conformance to state and federal size limits and possession of a current NMFS angling, general or charter/headboat category HMS permit.
  26. 22. All fish eligible for cash prizes may be subject to examination by the Tournament Directors, consulting biologists and/or Torrymeter, should there be any question as to the “freshness” of the catch. It shall be the responsibility of the participant to keep all eligible catches in suitable and proper condition until weigh-in. In the event of any disputes arising from such examina- tion, the decision of the Tournament Directors shall be final. Polygraph examination may be required of winning crews.

  27. ADMINSTRATION

  28. 23. The designated tournament VHF radio channels are 69 (Primary) and 71 (Alternate).
  29. 24. Registration is by boat rather than by angler. Tournament Directors reserve the right to decline entry of any boat or crew.
  30. 25. The Tournament Directors and hosting facilities assume no liability or responsibility for any damage or loss.
  31. 26. In the event of a boat disability, contestants may transfer to another boat, not entered in the tournament, and may fish in the name of the original, with the prior approval of the Tournament Directors.
  32. 27. Allegations of violations of any of the above rules may be submitted only by an official tournament registrant and must be submitted in writing on the day of the alleged infraction. In the event of such an allegation, the Tournament Directors will have the sole and exclusive responsibility to investigate the alleged incident and to rule as to whether any violation materially aided the angler, crew, or vessel, or otherwise affected the outcome of the tournament. Any subsequent penalty will be solely at the discretion of the Tournament Directors and shall be final. In all cases, registrant and their crews agree to be bound by the ruling of the Tournament Directors.

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