Tag: game fishing

Maldives Game Fishing Association hosts awards presentation

The Maldives Game Fishing Association (MGFA) held an awards and presentation dinner at Bandos Island Resort on Saturday night.

Marlin, tuna, wahu and sailfish were weighed, tagged and released before points were awarded. One tuna was not weighed, because as crews were pulling it out of the water for weighing a shark came by and bit it in half. The head was brought to the weigh station, which ended in a clean crescent-shaped bite.

Samples of sailfish were sent off to be tested, some caught fish were used for DNA testing, other fish were donated to locals as food. The largest specimen was a 50 kilogram sailfish.

While fishing is a niche market in the Maldives, one travel operator noted that angling was one of the UK’s most popular sports and a potential drawcard for the Maldives.

Champion angler Ahmed Zamir, from the Meeru Team which earned 400 points, said the event was challenging because the allocated fishing area was very small.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to show the integrity and honesty of a fisherman. I had to show the class of line that I used to catch my fish. The whole point was honesty,” he said.

The champion team will be invited to the International Game Fishing Association (IGFA)’s World Championship

IGFA representative at the event, Mario Tagliante, said the event inaugural event showed promise in the Maldives, but said “We were expecting more international response, and response from resorts. But we started our planning process quite late. Next time we’ll be more prepared – we have a year. We’ll get a much better response in 2012.”

MGFA Committee Member Tiffany Bond said the event had helped train people to follow international regulations.

“The challenge also brings more research, there’s still a lot we don’t know about Maldivian fish. Many participants, especially locals, were not familiar with the processes, such as tag and release, and after training for this challenge they are now more familiar with the procedures,” she said.

Chief Judge Bob Lowe said the judging process went well, although he noted that it was difficult to get everyone to use the same criteria.

“This is the first step, I think the event will grow and grow, eventually become one of the world’s major game fishing tournaments,” he predicted.

He explained that the tag-and-release method was valuable because it allowed monitoring of stocks and fish movements: “We’ve found that fish are moving all over, to Mexico and Hawaii and around the Atlantic, and sometimes further north.”

During the reception Minivan News spoke to Larry Zurloff, a Canadian currently living in the Maldives, who explained how he had designed and built a boat several years ago in conjunction with a local fisherman from Thaa Atoll, Mustafa Mohamed.

The pair incorporated a traditional fishing dhoni design with sport fishing facilities. When it is not being used by Larry, Mustafa uses the vessel to fish for his family. Zurloff spent seven days on the boat as part of a team, but mostly caught only smaller fish and scored zero.

“It was great to see friends, meet new people, and for everybody to get together in one spot,” he said.

He also noted that it was good to use the event to raise awareness of tag and release methods, especially for large bill fish: “There’s so little known about fish here, and big fish are decreasing in number each year. I think this could build awareness for tag and release. And it’s a great way to also make some money for the tourism industry.”

He speculated that increasing boat traffic was affecting fish populations nearer to human population centers, and driving up prices since fishermen needed to go further to find fish.

Mustafa didn’t have a clear response to the tag and release practice, and seemed unconvinced of the idea of fishing in order to release the fish. and said it was new.

Larry said suggested that the money in game fishing could divert fishermen from commercial exploitation of stock.

During the launch ceremony in September, MGFA Vice President Ahmed Nazeer said that game fishing had the potential to attract a new tourism demographic.

“The competitors and fishermen we see are not likely to be the average romantic vacationers or honeymooners, but serious competitive sportsmen,” he said.

Nazeer said the specific nature of the sport would attract long-anglers from the United States, a country which is not highly represented in tourist arrivals.

He further indicated that the tournament was in line with global trends. “The approach to game fishing is increasingly popular abroad. If we see significant improvement with sustainable sports fishing, we will take steps to develop a long-term commitment to the sport in the Maldives.

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Game fishing fun today, smart tomorrow

“It’s not about fishing for today, it’s about fishing for tomorrow.”

Committee Member for Maldives Game Fishing Association (MGFA) Tiffany Bond said its upcoming Maldives Game Fishing Challenge, in association with Dhiraagu, will involve locals and tourists in a tradition-based water sport while supporting conservation efforts.

“The competition is a big introductory way for local and international anglers to fish alongside each other, sharing expertise and learning more about the big fish that are out there. We look forward to providing an equal playing field for all involved,” said Bond.

The tournament features tag-and-release fishing, wherein captured fish are ‘tagged’ by inserting a narrow identification tube into the shoulder area before being released into the sea. The method supports fish conservation efforts worldwide.

The tournament will take place from November 9-12 in and around North and South Male’ and Vaavu atolls. Targeted species include marlin, sailfish, yellowfin, big eye, dog tooth tuna and wahoo. Line classes used will be 20, 30, 50 and 80 pounds, with minimum weights on all classes.

The International Game Fishing Association (IGFA) has endorsed the competition as an IFA Offshore World Championship Qualifying Event.

Fishing is the Maldives’ only export, and an integral part of its culture and heritage.

Noting that the Maldives is 99 percent water, Bond said it was “extraordinary” that big game fishing had not previously been introduced on a large scale. She suggested that the oversight was due to the Maldives’ tradition of “fishing for now, and usually catching smaller fish locally with dhonis and small lines. We would like to add to that tradition by introducing the conservation-friendly sport of big game fishing.”

Several resorts in the country offer game fishing as an excursion, however the practice of tag-and-release remains largely unknown.

Bond said that while these resorts have the sporting equipment their crews are often unfamiliar with methods such as how to handle a fish “to give it an optimum chance at life after release,” said Bond.

Growth of the sport is expected to add to the Maldives’ large tourism economy. “The Maldives is a unique place for game fishing because it can appeal to the angler and the angler’s wife. While the angler goes fishing, there are lots of things for the wife and family to enjoy as well. In many ways, it’s another feather in the tourism hat,” said Bond.

MGFA Vice President Ahmed Nazeer said game fishing would attract a new tourism demographic. “The competitors and fishermen we see are not likely to be the average romantic vacationers or honeymooners, but serious competitive sportsmen,” he said at a press conference today.

Nazeer said the specific nature of the sport would attract long-anglers from the United States, a country which is not highly represented in tourist arrivals.

He further indicated that the tournament was in line with global trends. “The approach to game fishing is increasingly popular abroad. If we see significant improvement with sustainable sports fishing, we will take steps to develop a long-term commitment to the sport in the Maldives.”

MGFA aims to develop conservation efforts and contribute to local charities. Bond said the association intends to collaborate with the Male’ Marine Research Center, and hopes to unite other conservation operations into a robust cooperative effort.

Under one plan, some of the fish caught will be kept for information gathering purposes and then sold on the fish market. The profits will go to a local charity, which has not yet been selected.

Bond noted in an interview that renowned Australian marine scientist Dr. Julian Pepperell had previously approached the Maldivian government with an interest in developing conservation programs. His inquiries allegedly solicited no response. Bond noted that Pepperell is keen to work with MGFA in the near future.

MGFA anticipates hosting 80 competitors for the event, which is open to local and international anglers. Participants and crew will be trained in the technique and advantage of tag-and-release fishing, and prizes will be awarded to the categories angler, team and boat. Registration fees are US$650, and may be submitted at the MGFA website.

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