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NZBGFC NATIONALS

21st – 28th February 2009

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The New Zealand “Nationals” shall form the arena in which anglers from throughout New Zealand compete, club against club, team against team and angler against angler for the honour of winning various trophies and titles that have been offered for this tournament.

The ‘Council’ will determine the rules and conditions that will apply to this tournament.

The ‘Council’ will determine the dates and hours of fishing the tournament.

In addition to these above rules, the following will also apply:

1. The IGFA and the NZBGFC angling and fishing regulations are incorporated as tournament rules, and will be adhered to as if fishing for a record. These rules have been evolved internationally so that, in their observances, every fish should have a sporting chance. Captures in which the fish has not had a chance to fight, except on the gaff rope or in the boats, are not caught within the intention of these rules and do not reflect credit on the fish or fisherman. Only fish caught in accordance with these and IGFA angling and fishing regulations and within the intent of these rules will qualify.

2. All current New Zealand Laws and Regulations regarding the taking of fish in New Zealand territorial waters.

The New Zealand Big Game Fishing Council reserves the right to use any information received by it through results sheets of the NATIONAL TOURNAMENT for publicity, statistical, or other purposes that may be beneficial to the Council or it’s membership.

 1. JUDICIAL COMMITTEE
A Judicial committee will be appointed. The Judicial Committee’s decisions shall be final on all matters pertaining to the contest, and any controversy arising over interpretation of these rules

Any dispute relating to the weight of a fish must be lodged with the weighmaster prior to the fish being removed from the weigh station. All other disputes must be lodged in writing, and faxed to the tournament secretary on the day in which the dispute relates.

 2. SAFETY
Although the Tournament has been arranged for 8 days it is the skippers responsibility to determine that on any one day, the sea conditions and weather forecasts are safe for his/her boat to put to sea. The Tournament is being run nationwide and the fact that boats may be fishing in one area, is not to be taken as an indicator that it is safe to fish in any other area.
It is each Skippers responsibility to ensure that the boat they intend to participate in is capable of putting to sea safely.

It is the Skippers, responsibility to ensure that the boat carries minimum legal safety equipment and inflation aids, including the requirements of local Coastguard/Harbour Board, or any other local body that has assumed control over the water-ways and ocean that the team intend to fish in.

Each boat must have a reliable means of communication, with the expectation that they can make contact, or be contacted at all times. Each Boat must return to port, or report to their base each day. Any club who is made aware of a Skipper who has put to sea against the advice or directions of one of the authorities named above, or who has not met minimum safety requirements in equipment must report the matter to the Tournament Secretary, and the Judicial Committee will consider the complaint and can disqualify the team. Any such disqualification will also disqualify any catches previously weighed by that team for the Tournament.

Land Based teams will suffer the same penalties if they are found to have ignored advice from officers of surf life saving clubs operating in the area.

 3. INFRACTIONS
Any person, club, boat skipper or crew, guilty of infraction of the rules could be disqualified from participation in this or any other NZ Big Game Fishing Council contest.

 4  ELIGIBILITY AND CONDITIONS OF ENTRY
All team members must be financial members of an affiliated club.

All clubs being represented in the National Tournament must be affiliated to, and be financial members of the New Zealand Big Game Fishing Council.

Junior anglers must be under the age of 17 years at the conclusion of the tournament.

All teams must have access to a copy of the rules for the National Tournament

All teams must nominate a member who will be responsible for the receiving of information for that team, and for certifying that the above conditions have been met

All information given to the nominated member shall be deemed to have been given to the whole team.

A signed entry form, accompanied by the appropriate entry fees for the whole team must be lodged with the club the team is fishing for, before an entry is valid.

5 REGISTRATION
A registration fee of $25 per angler (inclusive of GST) must accompany the official entry form and be paid to the club the angler is representing.

All teams must register at the headquarters of the club they are going to represent in the tournament. Correct registration is the team’s responsibility through their nominated member.

All team members must be registered and registration fees paid before they commence fishing. New teams, and additional team members can register after the tournament has started but registrations must be completed and registration fees paid and the Tournament Secretary notified before they commence fishing.

6 CLUB RESPONSIBILITIES
All participating clubs must have a nominated recorder, who will be the official contact for the tournament secretary for all matters relating to the tournament.

For the 2009 Nationals the preferred method of receiving and transmitting results will be by email.

Council would expect all clubs to make a serious attempt to comply with this preference. However, it is recognised that some clubs may not be able to comply, and for these clubs a fax link will be maintained. Those clubs that are forced to use the fax link must inform the secretary early.

All participating clubs must have an email address/facsimile machine to receive and transmit results and other information between the club and tournament secretary.

All catches must be relayed to the tournament secretary on the day the fish is weighed or tagged. A day being 6 pm to 6 pm (see rule 9).

Daily catch results must be transmitted to the Tournament Secretary not later than 7 pm each day and be certified as true and correct. (Certifying will eliminate the need to send catch certificates in) Nil returns are just as important as positive returns!

Final catch results must reach the Tournament Secretary prior to 8 pm on the last fishing day of the tournament. The results for Day 8 will be sent as Day 8’s results but Recorders and Anglers will have 24 hours to check that all fish have been entered and recorded correctly. Once the results are made final