27th Bonaire International & Local Fishing Tournament

Ties
In the event of a tie, the first boat to achieve the winning total shall be declared the winner. If for example one boat has 4 sail fish for a total score of 600 points and another boat has 2 Blue Marlin also scoring 600 points, the boat who reaches that 600 points first is the winner, no matter the combination to reach it. If both of the final fish are brought to release at the same time, the time of the strike will be the backup of arriving first at the score. If there is a tie, the boat losing the tie will drop down a level, so if there is a boat with 750 points, 2 boats with 600 points and one boat with 300 points, the boat with 750 will be first, the first boat to reach 600 points will be second, the second boat to reach 600 will be third and the boat with 300 points will fall out of the prize money at fourth.  Be sure to set the time of your camera accurately according to the time announced by the committee in the morning.  Radio communications and this time stamp are used to confirm the time of strike and release.



Protests
In the event of a protest, the captain must submit his protest in writing, directly to the Jury and not later than 1/2 hour (30 minutes) after his/her arrival to the pier.
The protest must include at least the following information....
1. Boat name
2. Angler
3. Reason for protest
4. Specific rule in question
5. Name of Boat and angler if it against another boat.
Once notified of a protest against another angler, that angler will be given 1 hour to respond in writing.
All protests will be settled on the day of the incident.
All decisions of the Jury will be final


Jury
The Jury will consist of at least 5 members of the organizing committee who are not participating in the event.


General Rules and Disclaimers
The Bonaire International & Local Fishing tournament organizers, sponsors or other affiliates will take no responsibility for any material damage or personal injury that may occur in association with the event or travel to and from the event.

All photos submitted to the event or taken of the event become property of the event and can be used for publication with permission of the organizing committee.

IGFA rules will apply when not in conflict with these rules.

Bolding of the text in these rules does not imply that portion to be more important in any way. It is simply to assist in finding the section that you are looking for.  Bolding should not in any way change your interpretation of the entire section.
 

We highly recommend the use of Circle hooks for this tournament and all of your fishing.
Circle hooks tend to hook the fish on the jaw and drastically reduce the chances of a fish swallowing the hook and causing internal damage. In many areas circle hooks are required when fishing with bait for billfish. This greatly reduces the mortality of the billfish. Circle hooks set easily at the mouth of the fish. they require a slightly different fishing technique to set the hook, however they are shown to be effective in all types of fishing. Once set, there is an identical​ catch rate with circle hooks and traditional J hooks. The strike rate is also the same.  See the circle hooks page for hints on rigging and using circle hooks.

Circle hooks are also highly recommended for all reef fishing.
Circle hooks have also been shown to greatly reduce the by-catch of unwanted species such as turtles. If caught, as with the Billfish, the circle hook allows for a much better outcome for the turtle.