Photo credit: http://www.selectyachts.com/
Only a few more weeks left to prepare for the St. Lucia International Billfish Tournament from Sept 30 – Oct 4 in the IGY Rodney Bay Marina.
This year’s event is not limited to just the fishing tournament but we have added a week-long Fishing Expo.
The International Expo participants have offered their expertise and services during this tournament to give, not only anglers, but also the public the information and knowledge to grow and expand the fishing industries throughout the region.
Anthony DiGiulian of Saltwater Professional Consulting is our expo director.
Anthony has graciously come on board to direct and produce an exposition during the tournament to educate all fishing enthusiasts and interested parties to the importance of conservation, introduce facts and figures on how St. Lucia can economically grow within the fishing industry, and engage our children in the knowledge of our sea creatures with a free Kids Fun Fishing Day, among other events, including rigging and circle hook workshops. www.saltwaterprofessionalcconsulting.com
IGFA will be offering their Observer Training Course for US$150 per person being held on Thursday, Oct 2 (lay day). This course, no matter what your experience is, will be beneficial to you.
On behalf of the SCBC, we are hoping to build our own observer group that we can offer to all tournaments and this would help all of our regional tournaments. An additional course on Saturday, Oct 5 has been added for locals. www.igfa.org
The Billfish Foundation will be joining us to give information on the conservation efforts for the fishing industry. Dr. Ellen Peel has attended other regional tournaments and has much needed information for the protection for the future of fishing in the Caribbean. www.billfish.org
Tony Ludovico, the underwater free diver and world-renowned photographer, will be on hand all week to share his ocean adventures. The underwater images he has taken from seas around the world are on almost anything you can think of, including Pelagic Gear, West Marine and Release Marine products. Tony will be raffled off daily to the highest bidder for charity. He will take all the photography for the boat on that day including underwater footage. www.tonyh20.com
Peter Agardy is a marine life artist. He will be offering his beautiful, one of a kind sealife artwork. His pieces will be for pubic sale and some he has graciously offered for a charity raffle. He will be available to talk about his experiences about painting and the ocean. www.peteragardyfineart.com
Pelagic Gear will on board with their top of the line marine wear and gear. Pelagic has all your long sleeve tees, caps, t-shirts, board shorts etc. to keep you protected and looking good both on the water and on shore! www.pelagicgear.com
The Bombshell Bikini Contest is back!! This year’s winner will win cash, gift certificates and be the calendar girl for the 2014 St Lucia Billfish Poster Calendar!
Kids Fun Fish Day will be a free day for all children interested in learning about our underwater world, the ocean. Games and activities will be provided for all at no charge on Saturday, Oct 5 from noon.
Please join us and let’s unite to conserve and grow our fishing industry with education and knowledge for us all.