Rules & Regulations

The following are not the complete rules for the Blacktip Challenge and everything written below is subject to change. All content listed in these rules, which is written under a bold heading is categorized according to the clear “common sense” definition of that word and every angler and/or participant/contestant is subject to how these rules are written, and must abide by them. It is the responsibility of every participating angler to know, understand and abide by these tournament rules during this competition. Any participant who deliberately violates these rules will immediately be disqualified. All disqualifications will result in being banned from all future Blacktip Challenge events and the angler(s) will forfeit any prize money and will not have a refund of registration and tournament fees.

EXTREME CAUTION AND CARE SHOULD BE EXERCISED AT ALL TIMES!!

During any activity involved with this sport or related competition, the safety of the angler and all others is of the utmost importance and should take precedence over any attempt to catch, handle or release any wild animal including sharks. Additionally, proper care and handling should also be exercised to avoid any injury to a fish. The Blacktip Challenge, it's officers, committee members, general members, and/or assigns assume no responsibility for risk of injury or death that might occur as a result of attempting to capture, handle or release any wild animal, anywhere, under any circumstances.

IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING THE HONOR SYSTEM

All guidelines regarding claims for points or world records submissions are referenced herein. As with other organized sporting events and organizations, the integrity of the Blacktip Challenge relies upon all participant's respect for sportsmanship, honesty and integrity when competing in this tournament or submitting claims. It is the tournament organizer's sincere intent to operate based on a confidence and trust that those virtues, at a minimum, will be held in high regard and exercised at all times by all participants and competitors.

Catch & Release Format

The Blacktip Challenge is a catch and release tournament. Sharks caught in the tournament must be properly documented with tags (supplied), measurements and photographs, then released to qualify for points. These requirements are detailed below. If an angler intentionally kills or injuries a shark, he or she will be disqualified from the tournament. This policy does not apply if a shark dies after being released, and it is determined the angler put forth acceptable and well-intentioned efforts to execute a healthy release. If an expired and tournament tagged shark is discovered and reported, the Blacktip Challenge staff will investigate before make its final determination, regarding the circumstances, point eligibility, angler status, etc. The use of gaffs is prohibited and will result in immediate disqualification and a lifetime ban from all future Blacktip Challenge events.

Tournament Dates

Prior to the tournament start date, an anglers meeting will be held at the Juno Beach Ocean Park lot from 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. on Wednesday January 25, 2012. Once an angler's registration is accepted and their entry fee is paid, the tournament staff will give that angler their tournament package. No angler can participate until they receive their tournament package. Attendance at the anglers meeting is mandatory for all registered, competing anglers. If special and/or reasonable circumstances prevent an angler from attending the anglers meeting, arrangements must be made in advance with tournament director, Josh Jorgensen, in order to receive required tournament supplies and information.

Address for Juno Beach Ocean Park:

14775 U.S. Highway 1
Juno Beach, Florida, USA
33408

Around the clock, 24-hour, tournament regulation fishing will commence with a 'Shotgun Start' and 'Lines In' on Thursday January 26th at 12:01 a.m EST. Tournament regulation fishing will officially end with 'Lines Out' on Saturday January 28th at 11:59 p.m. EST.. Competing anglers may choose when to fish.

The location of the awards ceremony will be at Ocean Reef Park on Singer Island. The awards ceremony will begin at 1:00 p.m. EST.

Address for Ocean Reef Park:

3860 North Ocean Drive
Riviera Beach, Florida, USA
33404

Registration

This tournament is open to the general public. Interested participants are asked to submit their information on the 'Contact Us' page located here. The tournament director will personally contact all participants to facilitate registration, entry fee submission and the provision of required tournament supplies, as described below under 'Entry Fee'. Anglers may sign up at the anglers meeting on January 25, 2012 at Juno Beach Ocean Park.

Registration Deadlines:

Registration with full payment of entry fees can be made until 9 p.m. on the day before tournament start, which is Thursday January 26th at 12:01 a.m. Concerning the matter of tournament shirts, please read what is written below in "Entry Fee". Once submitted, all entry fees are non-refundable. Special circumstances causing late entries or 'no-shows' may be considered by the event staff who will have final determination over these and all other related matters.

Angler Form

To download the angler form, please click on the image below:

Entry Fee

The entry fee is $50.00(USD) per angler. If you are fishing as a three (2) man team, each angler will have to pay $50.00(USD). Entry fees will be used as tournament prizes. Once an angler receives their tournament package their entry fee in no longer refundable. If special and/or reasonable circumstances prevent any participant from fishing the tournament after paying their entry fee, the angler is to contact the tournament committee about their situation, and the committee will evaluate the circumstances and determine whether or not to refund their entry fee. Official tournament shirts will not be included in the entry fee. If any participating angler wishes to purchase a shirt, they must send the money with their entry fee one (1) week before the tournament. When the tournament is over, anglers and the general public will be able to purchase tournament shirts upon special request.

IMPORTANT! - Every angler will have to pay a $10.00 refundable tag fee. When the tournament is finished each angler will be refunded their $10.00 if they use the provided tags or return any unused tags. If an angler has unused tags and does not return them to the Blacktip Challenge, they will not be refunded for their $10.00. This is to cover the cost of the tags. Please bring all complete tagging cards to the awards ceremony.

Tournament entry fees and registration forms can be mailed to the address below. Cash or check will be accepted. Please write check out to Blacktip Challenge.

Blacktip Challenge
7950 Shoals Drive Apt#7935C
Orlando FL USA
32817

Tournament Participation & Boundaries

All fishing must take place on the Atlantic (East) side of Florida, and will be conducted exclusively from the beach. Any fish caught from a pier, dock, bridge, or any other structure will not qualify for points. No fish can be hooked on any structure stated above and then landed on the beach. Every fish must be hooked and landed on the beach. Any angler who submits any shark caught from any structure besides the beach will result in a disqualification from the tournament.

The geographic fishing boundaries of the Blacktip Challenge will stretch north and south from St. Augustine to South Beach. Any participant in the tournament who is caught fishing outside these boundaries will immediately be disqualified. Any angler who submits any fish caught outside these boundaries will not only forfeit that catch, but will be disqualified.

Tournament Boundaries.

Angling Rules

It is the responsibility of every participating angler to know, understand and abide by these tournament rules during this competition. Any participant who deliberately violates these rules will immediately be disqualified. Only registered competitors are eligible for points and any potential qualifying prizes. The safety of all anglers and their teammates is their responsibility, and should be the first consideration in all aspects of this competition. All winners and participating anglers may be asked to take and pass a polygraph test at the tournament committee's discretion. If a participant refuses to submit to a polygraph test for any reason, then any potential winnings will automatically be forfeited. Any intentional cheating, harassing of other anglers or any other conduct determined by the tournament staff to be outside the spirit of good sportsmanship will not be tolerated and is grounds for immediate disqualification and permanent ejection from the tournament.

The maximum number of anglers permitted on each team is three (3). Anglers are permitted to "solo fish" or enter and participate by themselves without a teammate. Each angler is required to pay their own entry fee regardless of whether or not they are fishing on a team. However, due to the nature of this sport, and in the interests of safety, we encourage competitors not to fish alone in accordance with the tournament rules. Competing anglers may fish with one another, as well as with those not fishing the tournament or teammates that may accompany them. In any case, registered and competing anglers must follow all rules, and are responsible for non-participants fishing with them to do the same.

Junior Anglers - Anglers under the age of 18 must have a parent and/or legal guardian's consent to enter the tournament, and their parent and/or legal guardian are required to be present at the anglers meeting. Participants under the age of 18 are permitted to solo fish at the discretion and acceptance of both their parent and/or legal guardian and tournament organizers, and must be accompanied by an adult at all times! A team is permitted to have three anglers under the age of 18 under these conditions: 1) The parent(s) and/or legal guardian(s) of each participant must be present at the anglers meeting, 2) The parent(s) and/or legal guardian(s) of each participant are required to sign a unified document stating that all parties agree to the terms of the waiver of liability to permit their child (children) and/or ward(s) to participate in the event and accept all risks and dangers involved. 3) The participating individuals must fish together in the same location at all times and must be accompanied by an adult, being either a parent and/or legal guardian who signed the unified document stated above in (2), or an individual of which their parent(s) and/or legal guardian(s) consider to be a responsible adult to watch their child (children) and/or ward(s).

Once an angler is hooked up, they must fight the fish without assistance from anyone. Should an angler choose to leader, tail rope, or otherwise land their own fish, they may temporarily hand off their pole. Should the fish take another run, causing the fight to resume, the angler must then retrieve their pole and continue fighting the fish. Anglers may be assisted by others in landing a fish using acceptable means, such as leadering or tail roping. However, the angler must remain on the rod at all times unless using the option(s) previously mentioned. Anglers may also be assisted with tagging, measuring, hook removal (at angler's discretion), photographing, and releasing fish.

All participants and anglers fishing in the Blacktip Challenge must abide by Florida State Laws. All anglers fishing in the tournament (both Florida natives and out of state participants) are required to have the proper fishing licenses required by the FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Committee). Failure to have proper licenses will result in immediate disqualification and will be reported to the FWC by the tournament committee. Any angler cited by the FWC or any other law enforcement personnel for breaking any state laws will be immediately disqualified from the tournament. It is the responsibility of every angler to understand and abide by the laws and requirements of the FWC. The Blacktip Challenge will be in contact with state and local authorities throughout the tournament.

If you are not familiar with the Fishing Regulations & Guidelines of the FWC, please visit this link:
Saltwater Fishing Regulations

Participating anglers are to be respectful of other beach goers and are to show good sportsmanship to non-participants. Fishing at night and early morning is recommended. All anglers are asked to fish away from publicly posted swimming locations, meaning a lifeguard is being paid and on location. If in any situation a registered angler(s) in the Blacktip Challenge is intentionally fishing at a designated public swimming location, jeopardizing the health other beach goers "non-participants", tournament officials will evaluate the situation and may, depending on their interpretation on the situation, disqualify that individual(s).

Qualifying Species

All species of sharks will qualify for points except nurse sharks. Every qualifying shark must be a minimum of 60 inches (5ft) to qualify for points. Prohibited species such as: lemon sharks, hammerheads, and tiger sharks will qualify for points. These sharks must be quickly released and anglers are asked to follow FWC Saltwater Fish Handling Guidelines in this process.

Chumming

The use of chum in this tournament is prohibited. Any angler caught chumming during any period of the tournament will immediately be disqualified.

Cooperative Research & Resource Management

In an effort to take proactive and opportunistic steps in marine resource management, the BTC and its anglers are also taking part in an important joint-research effort with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Apex Predator Cooperative Shark Tagging Program and the International Land-Based Shark Fishing Association. This makes the angler's role as a competitor also one of an important contributor to the knowledge and understanding of these animals. For this reason, the accurate gathering and documentation of catch, tag and release data by participating anglers on data cards provided by the event staff is of the utmost importance.

Research tags and applicators will be provided and distributed evenly among anglers. Sharks must be accurately documented with all tags supplied, measured (to determine estimated weight), photographed, then released to qualify for points. Documentation procedure instructions and guidelines are detailed below. Should an angler deplete their supply of tags, in accordance with these rules, any additional qualifying sharks caught and released will still count for points. However, for additional sharks to qualify, ALL provided tags must first be deployed within tournament rules and guidelines. All additional sharks must still be properly documented with measurements and photos, and within the scope of all other rules and regulations. All unused tags and corresponding data cards will be returned at tournament's end.

Actual example of completed and submitted data card.

By tournament's end, each angler will submit their data cards to the event staff, which will then check them for accuracy, prior to submission to the APEX Predator Tagging Program. This organization will then enter all data into an international database, which is used for various research applications to the direct benefit of shark population studies, biological understanding and natural resource management. Prior to and during the tournament start, the event staff, as well as representatives from the ILSFA and other organizations will work to provide helpful information, and to answer questions about data gathering, as well as the safe capture and release of sharks.

Catch Documentation

Since this is a catch & release tournament, the healthy release of all captured fish is important. Experience and careful planning will aid in reducing stress on the animal, while helping to ensure healthy releases. Anglers are encouraged to land their fish as quickly as possible, and to maintain landed fish in enough water (as little as a few inches) to aid in the support of their body weight during the required documentation procedure that includes the: tagging, measuring and photographing of all fish as quickly and safely as possible, prior to release. Whenever possible, avoid dragging an entire shark's body weight onto dry sand. Documentation in the following order is recommended.

Step One: Research Tagging

Tagging needles, tags and applicators similar to the one pictured below are included in entry fees, and will be provided to participating anglers by the tournament staff, along with data cards to record measurements and other information.

It is imperative that you take some time to review the tagging instructions in the link below. They will aid greatly in enhancing your tagging activities, while increasing safety for all anglers and teammates.
How to Tag a Shark

Step Two: Measurements

Measuring tapes are included in entry fees, and will be provided for all participating anglers by the tournament staff, along with data cards to record measurements and other information.

It is imperative that you take some time to review the measuring instructions in the link below:
How to Measure a Shark

Step Three: Photos

All anglers fishing in the Blacktip Challenge are required to take photographs of each shark they decide to submit for points. If using digital photo or recording equipment, be sure to always have your date and time for your devices set accurately, since these factors may be used to determine point qualification in some cases. If your date and time was not set and cannot digitally substantiate a given catch, within reason, some points may not be deemed as qualifying, according to the tournament committee's discretion. For accurate species identification and point evaluation, only the clearest possible photos must be submitted. In all cases, photographs should be taken of the fish lying on a flat surface. The fish should be broadside to the camera with the applied tag clearly visible, and no other visible part of the fish obscured. All photos submitted must be the originals (raw), no photo editing software is permitted. If any photograph is submitted by any angler that has been edited in any photo editing software, that fish will be disqualified. All photographs submitted must be 5 megapixels (MP) or larger to qualify for points. All photos or other required documentation of contending fish must be submitted by no later than 9:00 a.m. EST on January 29, 2012. 'Lines out', marking the official end of tournament fishing takes place at 11:59 p.m. EST on January 28, 2012. If a fish is hooked prior to that time, it will still qualify for potential points, if landed and documented after 'lines out'.

The following photographs will be required in order to receive points for any submission:

• Angler fighting/"reeling in" the fish on the rod and reel.

  Example photo of angler fighting/"reeling in" the fish.

• Angler behind the fish holding the Blacktip Challenge flag in front of the dorsal fin (middle of body). The flag is included in entry fees and provided by staff.

  Example photo of angler holding BTC flag in front of a shark's dorsal fin.

• A photograph of both the fork and girth measurements.

  Example photo of a girth measurement.

  

  Example photo of a fork length measurement.

If additional photos or footage of the catch and release exist, they may also be submitted. Be sure to make copies of all photos and video submitted since they may not be returned. By submitting any materials, the provider grants the Blacktip Challenge rights to distribute and/or publish said materials for promotional or commercial purposes in various media including, but not limited to electronic, video, broadcast and print.

It is important to submit only clear, publishable photographs of the fish (and the angler when not fishing solo). If additional photos or footage of the catch and release exist, they may also be submitted. Be sure to make copies of all photos and video submitted since they may not be returned. By submitting any materials, the provider grants the Blacktip Challenge rights to distribute and/or publish said materials for promotional or commercial purposes in various media including, but not limited to electronic, video, broadcast and print.

World Records

This is an ILSFA sanctioned event. Therefore, anglers interested in submitting catches made during the tournament for official world records should become familiar with those requirements. Photos that must accompany all record applications include:

• The full length of the fish
• The full length of the fish
• Separate photos of tackle used in catch (including rod, reel, leader and hooks *)
• Any witnesses

* Regarding hooks, the ILSFA understands it is not always possible to remove hooks and that not every angler chooses to do so for personal, as well as for obvious safety reasons. In such cases where post-catch and/or release photos of hooks are not available, please describe hook configurations on the application form.

To view or print a full copy of the ILSFA Book of Rules, visit this link:
Book of Rules

Weather

The tournament committee will not determine any circumstance due to the weather and/or climate. If any portion of the tournament is fished and an angler or anglers release a qualifying shark, then prizes will be awarded. No entry fees will be refunded to any angler due to weather and/or climate circumstances.

Protests

All protests must be stated in writing and accompanied by $50.00USD. It is imperative that any participant filing a protest against another individual to be absolutely sure that such an allegation is in fact legitimate and the participant filing the protest have verifiable proof and evidence that such an allegation has in fact occurred. Any protests filed are taken very seriously by the tournament committee and bogus accusations will not be tolerated. All protests must be in the hands of the tournament committee by 11:59 pm EST on the day of the alleged incident. If the alleged incident occurred after 8 pm EST, the protesting individual/party must have the protest in the hands of the tournament committee by 11:59 a.m. EST the next day. The protesting individual/party, as well as the accused individual/party, must be present in any official protest meeting organized by the tournament committee. If the accused or protesting individual(s)/party fails to show up for a scheduled protest hearing, then they are forfeiting their rights to be heard and will abide by the decision of the tournament committee. Any decisions made by the tournament committee are final!