Saipan Fishermen’s Association

TH
39 Annual Saipan International Fishing Tournament
July 22 - July 23, 2023

Official Rules & Regulations

1. An entry fee of $150.00 per boat for two persons; $35.00 per additional angler.
2. Fishing hours will be from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 22, 2023 and Sunday, July 23,
2023. All boats must be inspected by Tournament Officials and signed off prior to departure from
the designated launching ramps. Designated ramp with times of operation is only at the Smiling
Cove Marina (Garapan) from 6:00 a.m. and beyond on both days.
3. All participants must have their boat at the entrance of the Smiling Cove Marina, and proceed to the
Official Weigh Station, in order for their catch to qualify. Participants wishing to register their catch
must have their boat at the tip of the Smiling Cove Marina entrance at or before 6:00 p.m. Failure
to do so will result in a disqualification for the day. Note: Participants not having any catches to
report are required to contact derby officials (Tournament Weigh Master) on radio channel 16 and
advise that they are done for the day.
4. Boats responding to a distress call will be exempted from the 6:00 p.m. deadline, but must obtain
prior approval from the Tournament Weigh Master.
5. All boats participating in the Tournament must have a SFA receipt. The receipt will be issued upon
registration and should be available upon request by a Tournament Official. The Registration form
must indicate the name of the person who will receive the SFA prize, if their boat wins any prize.
6. Prohibited Fish Handling: shooting, harpooning or lancing fish during any stage of the Tournament
will disqualify the fish. Gaffs exceeding 8 feet or flying gaffs in which rope exceeds 30 feet are
prohibited. Firearms are prohibited.
7. Fish mutilated by sharks, other fish or propellers that remove or penetrate the flesh will be disqualified.
Injuries or scratches caused by leaders or lines, healed scars or regenerated deformities are
exempted. Any mutilation of the fish must be explained to the satisfaction of the Tournament
officials.
8. All fish must be recorded and certified by the Tournament Weigh Master in order to qualify for prizes.
The Weight Scale, to be used at the Tournament, must be calibrated and certified before the
Tournament date.
9. A boat may win only one (1) prize per category (place). For example, it cannot win 1st and 2nd
prizes in one category.
10. All participating boats must observe safe boating rules and regulations. Failure to do so may result
in the disqualification of the boat from the tournament. A registered boater will not qualify for
reimbursement if disqualification is due to the boater negligence in furnishing the required safety
equipment and current boating registration.
11. Stomach contents of all fish entered for a prize may be randomly checked and removed by
Tournament Officials.
12. Fish Quality / Prohibitions: All fish must be properly handled, iced and be of good quality.

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13. All boats must file a daily float plan with Tournament Officials prior to departure from designated
launching ramps. The float plan information will be kept confidential by Tournament Officials.
14. In the event that two fish weigh the same amount, the first boat to have entered the tip of the
Smiling Cove Marina entrance will be considered the winner. The second fish weighed and
recorded may be eligible for another prize in the same category.
15. Only protests submitted to a Tournament Official in writing and within an hour after the closing of
the tournament day will be entertained by Tournament Officials. The decision of the Tournament
Officials will be final.
16. Fish placing in any of the categories will not be included in the total weight category.
17. Only billfish, yellowfin, wahoo and mahi weighing 15 lbs. or more will qualify for the Total
Weight category.
18. No boat may assist another boat in landing their catch.
19. Any record-breaking fish weighed on the scale becomes the property of the Saipan Fishermen’s
Association (SFA).
20. Cancellation due to bad weather (To be explained further).
21. The “Pacifica Insurance Special Prize” is awarded to the First Participant to weigh and record a
Billfish that weighs over 942.0 pounds within the Tournament Rules. “Special Prize” will be
offered once. Should the “Special Prize” be won on the 1st tournament date, it will not be offered
on any other tournament dates. The order for weighing and recording is based on the first boat that
enters the tip of the Smiling Cove Marina entrance. The winner of this special prize will not be
eligible to win the Budweiser 500 Special Prize.

For more information, visit the website at www.sfacnmi.com