Blacktip Challenge shark fishing tournament

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.

Each infraction of the tournament rules that results in a disqualification will be penalized towards the accused individual as a "strike". Each strike will result in a one year suspension from participating in the tournament. If an individual and/or team accumulate three or more strikes, their actions will result in a lifetime ban from the tournament. If stated, some infractions may immediately result in a lifetime ban from the tournament. Any infraction will result in the forfeit of any prizes for any category and tournament entry fees. Every infraction will result in the entire team being disqualified. Any participant that publicly (this includes social media) slanders the Blacktip Challenge or it's tournament officials will receive a lifetime ban from all future events. Any and all protests must follow the Official Tournament Protest Rules.

Since this is a catch & release tournament, the healthy release of all captured sharks is important. If an angler intentionally kills or injuries a shark, their team will be disqualified from the tournament. The use of gaffs is prohibited and will result in immediate disqualification and a lifetime ban from all future Blacktip Challenge events. No sharks may be used as bait.

Dead sharks will not qualify for any points and may result in disqualification. Disqualification will not apply if a shark dies after being released; however that catch will be forfeited.

If an expired tournament shark is reported, the Blacktip Challenge staff will make a thorough investigation. Any unsuccessful release will be labeled as a dead shark. If any evidence is found that an angler intentionally submitted a shark and was fully aware that the shark had an unsuccessful release, their actions will result in an immediate disqualification. If an angler submits a shark and is unaware that the shark had an unsuccessful release, they will not be disqualified, but their catch will be forfeited.

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. All species must be quickly released and anglers are asked to follow FWC Saltwater Fish Handling Guidelines in this process.

Any species that is not intended to be retained for use must be immediately released. If you see any wildlife violations, please call the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline: 1-888-404-3922.

Tickets for the tournament are now available. To purchase a ticket, click here. All teams must purchase a ticket to register for the tournament. Registration deadline is January 15th, 2016.

Anglers Meeting

The anglers meeting and/or captains meeting will take place on Tuesday February 16th, 2016. The time and location of the meeting will be announced in the upcoming months.

The anglers meeting is mandatory. If you are a junior angler (under the age of 18) you must attend the anglers meeting with your legal guardian(s). No team can participate until they receive their tournament bucket! If any members of your team are not registered, you will not receive a tournament bucket! If special and/or reasonable circumstances prevent a team from attending the anglers meeting, arrangements must be made in advance with tournament organizers in order to receive their tournament bucket.

This meeting is for tournament anglers. Any individual that is not participating in the tournament must have a ticket to attend this event (this excludes legal guardians for junior anglers).

Fishing

Around the clock, 24-hour, tournament regulation fishing will commence with a 'Shotgun Start' and 'Lines In' on Wednesday February 16th at 12:00am. Tournament regulation fishing will officially end with 'Lines Out' on Friday February 19th at 11:59pm EST. Competing anglers may choose when to participate within these dates.

Awards Ceremony

The awards ceremony will be held on Sunday February 21st. The time and location of the ceremony will be announced in the upcoming months.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Committee (FWC) does not restrict fishing for sharks anywhere on a statewide basis. You have the right to fish (refer to Florida Status Chapter 379.104!

Volusia County does have an enforced ban on shark fishing from the beach. Participants should avoid fishing in Volusia County. Other counties may have an enforced law restricting the hours of public beach access. It's the responsibility of each participant to research and understand the laws of local municipalities / counties in the area(s) that they will be fishing during the tournament.

Harassment

According to Chapter 379.105 of the Florida Statutes, it's a violation to prevent an angler from lawful fishing. If you are being harassed unlawfully by either local authorities or private citizens, please call the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline: 1-888-404-3922.

This is a surf fishing tournament. Only "surf casting" gear is permitted. This means that you can only use gear that you can cast with. All bait and lures must be deployed only by "casting method". The use of any watercraft, kayaks, kites, surfboards, paddleboards, bait launchers, bait boats and/or swimming to deploy baits or lures is prohibited! Anglers are permitted to "wade", but cannot use a flotation device. The use of live bait is permitted only if the bait is deployed by casting method.

A maximum of three (3) surf fishing shark rods are permitted for each team (one per active angler fishing). Each angler on a team may also have one additional rod to use as a bait rod and/or lure rod for additional categories. Anglers are permitted to simultaneously use both a baited shark rod and artificial lure rod.

Only circle hooks are permitted when using cut bait. All treble hooks must be removed on any lure and replaced with a single "J" or circle hook. No bait can be used with an artificial lure. Here is a great video showing this technique: Rigging Lures for Sharks.

Any species that requires a harvest tag / permit by the FWC is prohibited to be used as bait.

The minimum number of anglers permitted on each team is two (2). The maximum number of anglers permitted on each team is three (3). All members of a team must participate together. Teams cannot split up to cover "more ground". Teams are not permitted to fish with other anglers that are not participating in the tournament. Individuals not participating in the tournament may assist teams with non-fishing related tasks such as photography, moral support and etc... Anglers must only use their team's equipment to catch and release any fish. In any case, registered and competing anglers must follow all rules, and are responsible to inform any non-participants assisting them to do so.

Once an angler is hooked up, they must fight the fish without assistance from another individual. Should an angler choose to leader, tail rope, or otherwise land their own fish, they may temporarily hand off their rod. Should the fish take another run, causing the fight to resume, the angler must then retrieve their rod 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 the angler's discretion), photographing, and releasing fish. If an angler is hooked up prior to 'Lines out' and continues to fight the fish after that time, it will still qualify for potential points, if landed and documented.

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.

Florida Fishing Laws

All participants 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). Anglers under the age of 16 are not required to have a fishing license. Failure to have proper licenses will result in immediate disqualification of the entire team 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. If you are not familiar with the Fishing Regulations & Guidelines of the FWC, please visit this link: Saltwater Fishing Regulations. The Blacktip Challenge will be in contact with state and local authorities throughout the tournament.

Camping

Camping on the beach is prohibited! This means that a team cannot find shelter on the beach solely for sleeping purposes. Each team must be actively fishing! At least one member of each team must be within 50yds of their fishing establishment at all times!

Teams cannot "hold" a spot before the Anglers / Captains Meeting on February 16th, 2016. Any team caught doing so will be immediately disqualified from the competition.

The use of tents, sleeping bags or any form of sleep aid device is prohibited! Teams are permitted to have sun cover, but this must be removed between sunset and sunrise. Rain shelter is permitted only if rain is predicted within the hour by a credible news source using Doppler Radar. No cooking or fires permitted on the beach unless authorized by local ordinance.

Chumming

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

All bait not currently being used must remain in a cooler at all times! No bait may be placed or deposited on the beach (Florida Statutes 379.2421). Any bait that is tossed in the ocean without a hook in it will be considered a form of chumming and will result in disqualification. Any unwanted bait must be discarded at a designated cleaning station that permits carcasses to be thrown in the water.

Littering

Teams are required to maintain a clean fishing area. Highly unorganized and/or messy fishing establishments will result in disqualification. Any form of intentional littering will result in disqualification and will be reported to local authorities. All littering protests will be evaluated by the tournament committee before any disqualification penalties are issued.

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 must be accompanied by a legal adult at all times! A team is permitted to have three (3) 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).

The minimum fork length measurement for any qualifying shark species is 3ft (36 inches). All species of sharks will qualify for points except the species listed below in the "Disqualified Shark Species" list. If any team submits a disqualified shark species, that team will be disqualified from the tournament!

Disqualified Shark Species

• Great Hammerhead
• Smooth Hammerhead
• Scalloped Hammerhead

General

One measuring tape will be given to each team. The supplied tape measure must be used and properly placed on the sharks body for accurate measurements and photographs. All measurements must be made with the measuring tape provided by the tournament. All measurements will be rounded off to the nearest 1/8th of an inch. Final measurements may be adjusted by tournament organizers at their discretion based upon the measurement photos submitted.

Shark

Anglers are prohibited to stretch or extend a shark's tail for any measurement. If you have never measured a shark before, please visit this link: How to Measure a Shark.

Mixed Bag

All fish must be measured to the fork. If a species doesn't have a fork in the tail, measure to the tip of the tail. Stingrays must be measured by their disc width (wing to wing).

Research tags and applicators will be provided and distributed evenly among anglers. Sharks must be accurately documented with all tags supplied, measured, photographed, then released to qualify for points. 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. 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 must be returned at tournament's end.

If you have never tagged a shark before, please visit this link: How to tag a shark.

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.

All anglers fishing in the Blacktip Challenge are required to take photographs of each shark they decide to submit for points. Cameras must be configured to the current date and time. Any submission that includes any photos where the date and time are not configured correctly will not qualify for points. All photographs submitted must be 6 megapixels (MP) or larger to qualify for points. Blurry or pixelated photos will not be accepted! Any photographs submitted from a third party website (Photobucket, Flickr, etc...) will not qualify! 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. 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 and other required documentation of contending fish must be submitted by no later than 5:00pm EST on Saturday January 31st, 2016.

If additional photos or footage of the catch and release exist, they may also be submitted. These photos can be submitted at any time.

Fighting Photo

Angler fighting/"reeling in" the fish with the rod and reel. The entire body of the angler and the entire fishing rod must be visible in the photo.

Fork Length - Wide Shot

A wide-shot photograph of the fork length measurement. The entire shark, from the tip of the snout to tip of the bottom lobe of the caudal fin (tail) must be clearly visible! The entire tape measure must be visible! Hands and other objects cannot be blocking the tape measure. The tape measure should not block the "fork" in the tail!

Angler with Catch

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.

Lure Photo

This photo is required only for the Artifical Lure prize category. The photo must show the lure in the sharks mouth.

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:

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

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.

All protests must be stated in writing and accompanied by $100.00USD. 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 8:00p.m. EST on the day of the alleged incident. If the alleged incident occurred after 8:00p.m. 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!