Australian International Billfish Tournament

Transcription

1 Australian International Billfish Tournament held under the auspices of GFAA and sponsored by Nautilus Marine Boat Insurance 3rd & 4th March 2010 Port Stephens, NSW

2 The 2010 Australian International Billfish Tournament held under the auspices of GFAA & sponsored by Nautilus Marine Boat Insurance 3 rd & 4 th March 2010 Port Stephens, NSW Tournament Rules Note: Neither the Tournament Committee nor NSWGFA, nor any Sponsor will be responsible or liable for any loss or damage to any person, property, personal injury or death howsoever occasioned at any time during the The 2010 Australian International Billfish Tournament All Anglers participate at their own risk. TOURNAMENT RULES: The 2010 Australian International Billfish Tournament will be fished under the Fishing Rules and Tackle Regulations of the GFAA and NSWGFA as are in effect at the time including NSWGFA Tag & Release rules. 1. TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE: The Tournament Committee conducting the Competition shall consist of NSWGFA Executive, Radio Communications Officer & a GFAA representative. 2. The Tournament is a Billfish Tag & Release ONLY tournament. 3. ENTRIES: Boat Captains must forward fully completed entry forms and fees to: The Secretary, NSWGFA, PO Box 414, Swansea. NSW no later than Tuesday 23 rd February After this date entries will only be accepted at the discretion of the Tournament Committee and MUST be handed in at the NSWGFA Office Nautilus Marquee from Friday 26 th February to Tuesday 2 nd March). Cheques should be made payable to NSWGFA OR entry can be made by credit card. No entry will be accepted after 8.00pm Tuesday 2 nd March Note: Tournament shall be limited to 400 Anglers and will be on a first come basis. 4. ENTRY CONDITIONS: Boat/angler entries are restricted to financial members of any club affiliated with NSWGFA/GFAA/IGFA. There is a minimum of two (2) anglers for boats up to 8 metres and a minimum of three (3) anglers for boats over 8 metres. There is no maximum limit to the number of competitors in each boat. All competing anglers must be financial or a life member of their respective club as at the time of entry. The Committee reserves the right to request proof of compliance. All decisions by the Committee are final and binding. Each vessel is to have their own third party property liability and third party personal liability insurance. 5. REPLACEMENT OF BOATS AND COMPETITORS: No replacement of boats or competitors for whatever reason will be allowed after the commencement of the tournament briefing. 6. INSURANCE: Boat Owner must provide details of third party property and third party personal liability insurance on the Boat Safety Rescue form. 7. SPONSOR FLAG: All boats must display sponsor flag (if supplied) on the starboard outrigger at all times when inside the port. No other promotional flags/banners/branding are to be displayed other than official tournament sponsors. 8. A BRIEFING of all boat captains/anglers will be held in the Marquee in the park beside the weigh station on Tuesday 2 nd March 2010 at 8.00 pm. It is mandatory that every boat be represented at the briefing by at least one registered tournament angler. An attendance register will be in operation from 7.30 pm and it is therefore necessary that the skipper or registered angler from the boat present themselves by 8.00pm. It is compulsory to sign the register and verify the entry form as being correct. 1

3 9. FISHING TIMES: The Tournament will be fished on Wednesday 3 rd & Thursday 4 th March Fishing will commence at 0700 hours and cease at 1700 hours on the same day. Fish hooked and reported to Game Fish Base prior to end of fishing will be allowed to be played out. On Thursday 4 th March (final day of competition), the deadline for tag & release cards and paperwork to be handed into the weighstation is 1800 hours. For boats travelling into the port from sea and to assist with the no wash rule the deadline for weighstation will be Flypoint. 10. LEAVING & ENTERING PORT: Boats must leave Port Stephens on each tournament day and return to Port Stephens on completion of fishing. 11. BAD WEATHER: To avoid taking unnecessary risks in the event of bad weather the Tournament Committee will decide whether the day will be a competition day or not. Boats should establish early morning contact with Game Fish Base or members of the Tournament Committee at the weighstation. In the event of bad weather developing after the start of fishing then the President of NSWGFA and the Tournament Committee will confer and decide whether or not the competition will be called off for the remainder of the day. All fish tagged prior to this time will be eligible for the competition. Note: A declaration of a Gale Warning by the appropriate government weather authority will automatically require the cancellation of the tournament. In the event of a declaration whilst vessels are at sea, such vessels are required to cease fishing immediately and return to port. The Committee accepts no responsibility for decisions made by individuals whether to put to sea or not, having regard to the Committee s decision on the Tournament for the day. The ultimate decision on return to harbour remains with the competitors. 12. TAG & RELEASE: Eligible tag & release tournament species are Marlin, Shortbill Spearfish, Sailfish & Broadbill. To be eligible for T&R the angler must attend the weighstation on the day of the T&R together with all tackle used in the T&R and a completed Certificate of T&R as supplied to all entries in the tournament and a completed tag card. The time of tag & release must be printed on both the tag paperwork and tag card if no time is listed then the fish will be deemed to have been tagged at the end of fishing for the day. 13. CIRCLE HOOKS ONLY are permitted to be used for livebaiting. 14. ALL BILLFISH MUST be tagged with the Billfish Tag this is the only tag that will recognised for billfish in the tournament. The Billfish Tag is for Billfish only pointscore i.e. no other species. 15. RADIO COMMUNICATIONS: Radio schedules will be conducted as per the NSWGFA adopted Guidelines for Radio Scheds as are in effect at the time. Due to safety of boat and anglers the radio communications will be recorded from the start of fishing and will cease when the last boat returns to port. Game Fish Base will operate on 2MHz frequency 2284, VHF Channel 80, 27MHz Radio Schedules will be conducted every TWO hours with the first schedule at 7.10am and the final schedule at 5.10pm. Competitors are requested to advise Game Fish Base of the number of persons on board when they sign on by answering the first schedule. Boats will be called in numerical order. Boats are to report on each schedule as follows: (i) Boat Number; (ii) Boat Name; (iii) Position (using grid map references); (iv) whether Trolling, Drifting or Anchored; (v) ACCURATE Fishing Report using the 000 system, i.e. Strikes, Hook-ups, Tags. If possible boats are to give species for strikes and hook-ups which are not landed. All boats are to report on every schedule. In the event of a boat suffering radio failure then they must make contact with another competing boat and have them advise Game Fish Base of the problem at the next schedule and immediately return to port. Boats must maintain Radio Silence for 5 minutes before finish fishing time to allow for reports of late hook-ups. On the 5.10pm schedule, boats are requested to advise Base of total tag & release for the day and ETA in port. All boats are to sign off with Game Fish Base when they enter port at the end of the days fishing. If unable to make radio contact then they must report to a Tournament Committee member at the weighstation before proceeding to their mooring/trailer. 16. WEIGHSTATION CONTROL AND PROCEDURES: Once the boats enter the Nelson Bay inner harbour they are to proceed slowly between the Weighstation and the two fixed poles to obtain acknowledgement from Dockmaster and be placed in order for processing as required. 17. TOURNAMENT PENALTIES: Penalties will apply to a breach of these rules and will be as per penalties outlined in the 2010 Nautilus Boat Insurance Interclub Tournament rules. 18. PRESENTATION OF TROPHIES & ANGLER DRAW: Presentation Dinner will be held in the Nautilus Marquee on Thursday 4 th March at 7.30 pm. Anglers must be present to be eligible for angler draw. Angler Presentation Dinner cost is included in tournament entry fee, non-angler presentation tickets must be purchased no later than tournament briefing. Boat Captains/Anglers are encouraged to purchase non-angler tickets with tournament entry. 2

4 OFFICE USE ONLY Australian International Billfish Tournament 3 rd & 4 th March 2010, Port Stephens NSW Club Boat Name Mobile Phone Numbers on Board (Please do not divert or turn off on tournament days) Boats up to 8 metres must enter a minimum of 2 anglers - Boats over 8 metres must enter a minimum of 3 anglers Boat Captain (must be a paid angler) Anglers Please Print Clearly Boat Captains Address in Port Stephens Contact Number in Port Stephens Private Mobile Contact Contact phone numbers that you provide on this entry form may be used by NSWGFA and Major Sponsors of this tournament for the purpose of informing you of future NSWGFA tournaments and product information. If you do not wish to receive this information please tick the box. Boat Owners Home Address Postcode ENTRY FEES All prices include gst Adult Anglers...@ $ each $ Junior Anglers (under 16years)...@ $ each PRESENTATION TICKETS Non-Angler Presentation...@ $ each $ $ Grand Total $ Note: Cheques are to be made payable to NSWGFA, entries must reach the NSWGFA postal address by Tuesday 23/2/10, after this date entries can be handed in at the tournament marquee in Nelson Bay. Credit Card Facilities are available contact NSWGFA Secretary on Shirt Sizes: XXXL XXL XL L. M S Note: Every effort will be made to supply the appropriate size shirt if sizes are nominated on this form, however not all sizes may be available. Note: Tournament shall be limited to 400 Anglers and will be on a first come basis 3

5 SAFETY RESCUE INFORMATION FORM DESCRIPTION OF VESSEL Boat Name. Registration No.. Boat on the Club Register of GFC Length. Make... Colour-Hull.Deck..Superstructure Distinctive Features or Markings Engine(s) Type.Number H.P. Fuel Type Capacity.Range..Speed-Cruising Max Speed. Name of Boat Insurer.Policy No Renewal Date. Other Pertinent Information.. SAFETY AND EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT Appropriate Boxes & Complete Details if applicable RADIOS SSB HF All frequencies YES / NO If no please list frequencies fitted 27 MHz All frequencies YES / NO If no please list frequencies fitted VHF All frequencies YES / NO If no please list frequencies fitted UHF All frequencies YES / NO If no please list frequencies fitted MOBILE(S) ON BOARD Number(s).. RADAR REFLECTOR YES NO FLARES YES NO Type and Number. DINGHY YES NO Type and Number.. LIFERAFTS YES NO Manufacture and Capacity LIFEBUOYS YES NO Type and Colour. LIFEJACKETS YES NO Number and Colour E.P.I.R.B YES NO RADAR YES NO Range.. DEPTH SOUNDER YES NO Depth COMPASS (Hand-Held) YES NO SEA ANCHOR YES NO FOOD YES NO Number of Days. WATER (Emergency) YES NO Amount. GPS YES NO I agree to abide by EVERY tournament rule and ALL Tournament Committee decisions and have completed the Safety/Rescue form including details of insurance covering third party property liability and third party personal liability insurance. Signed...(Boat Captain) Date... 4

6 Wild Fisheries Program - Fisheries Assessment Unit NSW DPI Game Fish Tournament Monitoring Program (GTMP) in operation since 1994 Information Sheet for Tournament Participants Re: New Post-Tournament Phone Surveys Why is this project important? Outcomes from this project have been used by the Game Fishing Association of Australia (GFAA) and the Commonwealth to support resource sharing negotiations between commercial longliners and recreational fishers. Information on recreational game fish catches is crucial to understand game fishing and assist the management of these resources. Data provided by game fishers are used to improve outcomes from negotiations and strengthen the basis for long-term access rights to the fishery. These data also provide information that can be used by scientists to support assessments of game fish species. This project has generated a unique dataset and is one of very few longterm datasets for NSW recreational fisheries. How are data collected? Radio sched data: These provide accurate information on fishing effort (number of boats fishing per tournament day) and information on reported catch. However, catch of non-point score species and sometimes low-point score species (that may be kept for food as opposed to entered into the tournament) are not always reported. Also scheds do not include accurate information about fish size and do not always provide fishing method information for each boat (i.e. trolling, drifting, anchored or bait fishing), to allow the partitioning of effort in the calculation of catch rates. Post-fishing interviews: For the above reasons, postfishing interviews have become an important component of the GTMP. Post-fishing interviews provide more detailed catch information, which enables us to calculate more accurate catch and effort indices and total catch estimates. Testing assumptions: A number of assumptions currently need to be made when analysing these data. These assumptions are a result of tournament structures and locations, which result in some crews not being available for interview. For example, during some events, the majority of participating boats return to their home ports on the last day of the tournament. This means that post-fishing interviews (when undertaken on the last day) may be biased towards boats that catch fish (as these are the boats that return to the tournament s host club). These assumptions may have ramifications to the calculation of catch and effort indices and total catch estimates. To date there have been no attempts to test these assumptions. One way to test these assumptions would be to undertake post-tournament phone interviews. These would include phone calls to participating boat skippers who were unable to be accessed for on-site interview at the end of their fishing day. The phone interviews would be short (2-5 mins and similar to postfishing interviews undertaken at tournaments). These phone surveys will only be conducted at a selection of events throughout the season however contact information will be collected for all events to assess the rate of willingness of anglers to participate in these surveys. Once these phone surveys are undertaken for a 2 or 3-fishing season period, results would be evaluated. These results will form the basis for decisions on the design of the GTMP into the future. After this period and depending on results, phone interviews may not need to be continued. Why is testing project assumptions important? The goal of any research program is to provide the most accurate and unbiased information possible. Testing assumptions and data quality must therefore be an ongoing focus of any monitoring program. The support of the GFAA, NSW GFA, NSW game fishing clubs and club anglers is greatly appreciated. Data that are collected for this project is information that you as an association can use to fight for your beliefs and rights to the fishery. It is, however, regarded of utmost importance that the most accurate and unbiased data are collected. These post-tournament phone surveys are the first step to ensure that this is achieved. Your cooperation and assistance in reaching this project goal is one way of supporting the fisheries that support your sport. Please note: Individual records of anglers and their associated data are confidential and are only reported in a highly aggregated form. For further information contact: Project Leader Danielle Ghosn (nee Williams) I&I NSW - PO Box 21, Cronulla NSW 2231 Ph: (02) Fax: (02) danielle.ghosn@industry.nsw.gov.au

7 Gamefish Tournament Monitoring Project Phone Survey Form 2009/10 It would be greatly appreciated if you could please hand in this form to the host club of the tournament attached to your entry. NEW PARTICIPANTS: Information about these surveys is at the bottom of this page. Please tick the Yes box if you are willing to participate in these surveys. If you do not wish to participate in these surveys, please tick the No box and just record the tournament name and your boat name in the table below and return with your tournament entry. PREVIOUS PARTICIPANTS: If you completed one of these forms last fishing season or during the current season and would like to continue your participation please tick the Yes box and just record your boat name, rego number and one phone number (unless any of your other details have changed in which case please complete the section (s) that have changed). Please also complete the: No. of engines; Horsepower per engine; Fuel Type; and, Boat propulsion type on the first form that you complete for this fishing season. Thank you I am willing to participate in these surveys Yes No Tournament name: Year: 20 Boat name: Boat make (brand): Rego. number: Hull material: Boat size: No. of engines: Horsepower per engine: Engine type (brand): Fuel Type: Diesel Unleaded Boat propulsion type (please tick): Stern Drive Shaft Drive Outboard (4-stroke) (2-stroke) Skipper/Owner s name: Phone survey contact name (if not Skipper/Owner): Club: address: Home ph: Work ph: Mobile: Preferred contact method (please tick): Home Ph Work Ph Mobile Would you be willing to participate in a logbook program in the future (where you record your catch and effort information for all your gamefishing trips)? Yes No Would you be willing to participate in an on-line web-based survey in the future (please tick)? Yes No The information that you provide on this form is given voluntarily. It may be used by staff of the I&I NSW (formerly NSW DPI) Gamefish Tournament Monitoring Program (GTMP) for a short phone survey after this event. The purpose of these surveys is to improve future sampling, quantify any biases in the current sampling regime and incorporate your fishing boat details to investigate standardised catch rates (which may give better proxies of fish abundance by removing the influence of these factors on raw catch rates). This research is important for the future of gamefishing and is supported by the NSW GFA and the GFAA. More detailed information about these surveys is available at tournament briefings and at or by contacting I&I NSW (02) or write to Danielle Ghosn I&I NSW PO Box 21, Cronulla NSW 2230 or danielle.ghosn@industry.nsw.gov.au. Your personal information will remain confidential and can not be disclosed to the general public or other government agencies. The information will be stored on a secure server at I&I NSW. If you wish to change or correct any of your information please contact Danielle Ghosn via the details above.

8 The 2010 Australian International Billfish Tournament Tournament Trophies & Prizes GFAA - AIBT Perpetual Trophies for the most Billfish Tagged & Released E.W. Palmer Perpetual Trophy Champion Team T&R - Billfish 1 x Maxsea Time Zero Explorer PC based software pack plus 1 x Aussie Chart area 1 x Tiagra 20 reel with matching T curve rod & reel cover 1 x Tiagra 30 reel with matching T curve rod & reel cover 1 x gear bag, 1 x rod fighting belt, catch & release plyers, line cutter 1 x spool 10kg line & 1 x spool 15kg line Moreton Bay GFC Perpetual Trophy Runner-up Champion Team T&R Billfish 1 x Furuno FCV colour sounder 600w dual frequency 50/200khz 1 x TYR 2 speed 20 reel with Tcurve rod & reel cover 1 x TYR 2 speed 30 reel with Tcurve rod & reel cover 1 x gear bag, 1 x rod fighting belt, catch & release plyers, line cutter 1 x spool 10kg line & 1 x spool 15kg line Mal Ramsay Perpetual Trophy Champion Angler T&R - Billfish 1 x T150W reel with T curve stand up 24kg rod & reel cover 1 x spool 24kg line Champion Junior Tag & Release Angler - Billfish 1 x Tiagra 16 reel with matching rod, line & rod cover Plus All Registered AIBT Anglers will be placed in a Draw for Sponsor s Prizes, the Angler Draws will be held during the AIBT Presentation Dinner. To win a prize at the draw anglers must be present. Note: If the winner is not present then the prize will be re-drawn.