Sabah International Fishing meet April 25-30
Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Anglers Association (SAA) will again be organising the annual Sabah International Fishing Tournament this year from April 25- 30.
“The tournament venue will again be in Pulau Layang Layang. So far SAA has received confirmation from more than 100 participants and as in previous years, the anglers come from several countries including Brunei Darussalam, Singapore, Macau, Hong Kong and China,” said SAA President Datuk Wilfred Lingham.
“Although the closing date for entry to Pulau Layang Layang was on March 18, the tournament is still open for anglers who want to fish in local fishing grounds such as Semarang, ‘Karang-Karang’, ‘takat 360′ and Mantanani as well as around Kudat waters.
“We know that the cost to go to Pulau Layang Layang can be quite expensive. Thus by keeping registration open, anglers who want to participate but do not want to spend too much can still join in the tournament.
“They can still register with SAA and depart on April 27. The closing date for them would be on April 24 at 4pm,” Lingham said on Tuesday.
It was learnt that the number of foreign angler participation had been increasing each year with about 60 per cent of the Layang Layang bound anglers being made up of foreign anglers, the majority hailing from China and Brunei.
Similar to the previous years’ tournament, anglers participating in SIFT will have to adhere to the rules and regulations set by SAA and the National Security Council.
This includes fish species which are not allowed to be landed according to the Fisheries Regulations (Control of Endangered Species) Act 1999 (Amendment 2008). These include the Giant Wrasse (Ikan Mameng), all sharks, rays and bill-fishes.
“If hooked they must be released immediately. For those who manage to hook a billfish, they can submit photographic proof or video of the catch as the fish must also be realised immediately in accordance to the International Game Fishing Association’s (IGFA) rules.”
The prizes have been increased from six to 10 this year with a total of RM70,000 in cash and kind including trophies and medals.
All participants will also receive a tournament T-shirt and certificate. They will also be entitled to a lucky draw which will be held during the prize presentation ceremony.
The tournament would not be held without the continuous support of the Sabah Tourism Board, Sri Pelancongan Sabah and Sutera Harbour Resort Golf Marina Spa and Country Club as the venue provider, he said.
“We would also like to record our gratitude to Parex Group and Davco, Pure Fishing, the State Fisheries Department, ComNav2 (Mawilla2) Operational Command Area and the Royal Malaysian Navy for their support to SAA and SIFT,” he said.
He added that the winning fishes will as usual be auctioned off to the public at 1pm on April 30.
“Those interested to buy formalin free fish can come and participate in the auction on that day,” he said, adding that this is part of SAA’s effort to promote awareness about formalin free fish.
Inquiries about the tournament can be directed to the SIFT 2017 secretariat at +60138509788 or +60168276762. – Neil Chan
Source: Daily Express
