Bahamas Billfish Championship 2008 Angling Rules

All anglers and crewmembers are expected to be familiar with the IGFA Salt Water Angling Rules. The angler must hook, fight and bring the fish to gaff or the point of release unaided by any other person. No one other than Bahamas Billfish Championship tournaments with the following exceptions:

	All boats participating in the Bahamas Billfish Championship tournaments will depart from and fish within a 60-mile radius of the host resort in Bahamian waters.
	The Committee Boat monitors VHF channel 71, cellular and satellite telephones. Wednesday is designated as each tournament's "lay day."
	A maximum of six rods per boat may be fished.
	Maximum line strength shall not exceed that of manufacturer's stated, 100-pound (45.36 kg.) test. The tournament committee reserves the right to take line samples for testing or request labels from line spools. No bonus points will be awarded for using line lighter than 100 pound test.
	No live bait permitted. Should a non-qualifying species take a lure and/or bait, and subsequently be itself taken by a billfish, the hook-up would not be considered as using "live bait."
	Fish must be hooked, fought and off loaded at the tournament's designated weigh station on the same boat.
	Release photos and affidavits must be turned in to the Committee Boat at the tournament location aboard the vessel on which the fish was released.
	Lines in the water at 8:00 am - Lines out of the water at 4:00 pm with the exception of the last day of fishing. On the last day, lines are in the water at 7:30 am and out of the water at 3:30 pm. Weigh station opens at 4:00 pm. No early weigh-ins.
	An angler may fight a fish until it is lost, released, or boated so long as it was hooked and reported to the Committee Boat prior to "lines out of the water." A confirmed hook-up that results in a boated fish on the last day of the tournament must be brought to the weigh station by twelve midnight. A 'Billfish Capture Affidavit' must be completed and presented to the Weigh Master at the time the fish is weighed.
	To qualify as a "released fish" the leader must be brought within the grasp of the mate or the end of the leader must be wound to the rod tip. A 'Billfish Release Affidavit' must be completed for all billfish released and presented to the Committee Boat between the hours of 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm (3:30 and 5:30 Friday) on the same day the fish is caught. These hours can be extended if a team was fighting a fish and reported to the Committee Boat prior to "lines out of the water."
	The 'Billfish Release Affidavit' must be accompanied by a time and date-stamped digital image of the fish (still image or video) that clearly shows the billfish species reported and the colored ribbon for that day. The billfish must be photographed within thirty (30) feet (leader length) from the boat. The digital image verifies the Affidavit; therefore, no points will be awarded if the species shown in the digital image does not match the species reported on the Affidavit. The time stamp of the digital image is the official release time.
	A billfish caught after 12:00 midnight will count as a release or capture for the day it was hooked-up.
	Anyone that submits a billfish capture or release affidavit understands that attesting to a false catch will constitute aiding and abetting an act of fraud.
	Each individual tournament's rules committee is composed of at least three Bahamas Billfish Championship anglers or Steering Committee Members.
	Protests must be filed in writing and presented to the Committee Boat prior to 6:00 pm (5:30 Friday) on the same day as the alleged violation.
	Flagrant disregard for Bahamas Billfish Championship rules will result in disqualification of the angler and/or team and removal from the tournament with no refund of monies paid.

Points & Scoring

Points are awarded on a basis of 100 points for released sailfish, 200 points for released white marlin, 200 points for released spearfish, 600 points for released blue marlin, and one point per pound for eligible blue marlin boated in excess of the benchmark minimum length. The benchmark minimum length for blue marlin is 110 inches as measured from the tip of the lower jaw to the fork of the tail. The benchmark at each tournament remains 110 inches until two (2) fish over 110 inches have been weighed in that tournament. The following day's benchmark minimum will then be the length of the longest fish. Wthe longest fish for the following day.

No fish will be "weighed-in" that does not meet the benchmark minimum length. Should a fish be boated and/or brought to the dock which measures less than the benchmark minimum length, the Team will be penalized 600 points.

One hundred (100) points are awarded as participation points to each team for each tournament fished during the series. In the event of a tie in total points between two or more teams for the same award, the team that first achieved the point total shall be the winner.

At each of the five tournaments, the top three teams in the Bahamas Billfish Championship 2008 will receive bonus points as follows:

1st Place - Highest point total + 600 bonus points

2nd Place - 2nd highest point total + 500 bonus points

3rd Place - 3rd highest point total + 400 bonus points
 

2008 Registration Procedures - READ CAREFULLY

• Registration submissions must be accompanied by entry fees and are accepted on a first-come-first served basis. The BBC membership fee is non-refundable and tournament entry fees become non-refundable 30 days prior to the tournament start date.
• Tournament entry fees cover social functions and tournament giveaways for four participants. Additional social tickets can be purchased on site at tournament registration. Your tournament entry covers participation for one fishing boat. Slip availability for "motherships" is not included in BBC slips counts held for the tournaments by the marina. The slips are for fishing boats only.
• Tournament size is limited at each resort as follows:
  

  Central Abaco - 75 boats
  Harbour Island - 55 boats
  Marsh Harbour - 80 boats
  Treasure Cay - 75 boats
  Boat Harbour - 80 boats

• Host resorts reserve slips and rooms for BBC participants. However, the resorts do not accept slip reservations from your team unless the BBC office has confirmed with the resort your registration and payment.
• After receipt of your registration confirmation from the BBC office, it is your team's responsibility to contact the individual resorts for reservations. After January 1st, make your reservations within 15 days of the receipt of confirmation from the BBC with the resort to insure they hold a slip for you.
• It is imperative you let the marinas know your arrival and departure dates to insure the slip's availability. Slip reservations that have not been made by your team 30 days prior to the beginning of the tournament will not be guaranteed available to you by the resort.

Slip Reservation and Resort Contact Information