2023 Nantucket Bluefin Blast

RULES

NANTUCKET BLUEFIN BLAST OFFICIAL RULES

OFFICIAL SET OF RULES

All United States Federal Bluefin Tuna regulations apply to this tournament. Tag and Release is the preferred method except for tunas that are in contention for winning this tournament.

Captains are responsible for tunas that are killed and will be held accountable if questioned by the Tournament committee, USCG, DEP or NMFS.  The Nantucket Bluefin Blast Tournament will not be responsible for, or held liable for, any illegally taken fish.

1. Weather:

This is a Captains choice tournament. Advisories of the weather conditions will be broadcast and are for the protection of the anglers. Decisions to fish or not to fish will be at the discretion of the captain. FISH AT YOUR OWN RISK.

2. Minimum Length per federal bluefin regulations:
27 inches CFL (recreational and charter/head boat), 73 inches CFL (general category). You must release fish that are not Minimum lengths for each category. Please check updated regulations on the NMFS website.
3. Species eligible: Bluefin tuna, Saturday and Sunday.
Bluefin tunas only.
3A. Sharks, Saturday, Trolling only.

There will be a stand alone category and award for the most sharks trolled and released during Saturday only. A photo of the shark being released must also be taken with time stamp. Shark category will not be added to the tuna category, these will be two seperate awards.

Permits- (directly taken from HMS fishery compliance guide)

Vessels must have a valid HMS Angling or HMS Charterboat/Headboat permit to fish for Atlantic sharks. The permit covers everyone fishing on that vessel. Tournament vessels may instead fish for sharks with an Atlantic Tunas General category or Swordfish General Commercial permit. All HMS permit holders must have a shark endorsement on their permit before they can fish recreationally for sharks.

4. Tackle:

The use of Greensticks, long-lines, or any other means besides rod and reel are not permitted. This is to make the playing field fair to all boats.

5. Boundaries:
All fishing inside this box is considered the boundaries of the Tournament.

NW CORNER 41 o – 50’N, 69 o 55’W

SW CORNER  41 o-05’N, 69 o 55’W

NE CORNER  41 o– 50’N, 68 o 43’W

SE CORNER   41 o– 05’N, 68 o 43’W

6: U.S. Coast Guard Requirements
All boats must meet U.S. Coast Guard Requirements and are the sole responsibility of the boat owner.
7. This is a rod and reel tournament
  • No airplanes or other fishing gear will be permitted for this tournament.
  • Non-electrified harpoons, flying gaffs and straight gaffs are permitted.

 

8. This is a boat trolling tournament
  • The use of planners and down-riggers are permitted.
  • There will be no chucking, live baiting, kites, greensticks or any other means of catching a tuna besides pulling of lures, rigs, or trolling of dead baits.
  • There will be no use of sash weights, lead or weights of any material attached in a manner that they can break off, I.E. rubber band, in doing this there is a fair playing field for everyone.
  • There will be no bump trolling of any kind, the boat must be in gear and a forward motion at the time of the hook up.

 

9. Fishing Hours:

Boats may leave the docks before sunrise. Lines in will be 6 AM and lines out are 3:00 PM on both days. In the case of a hook up prior to the lines out time of 3:00 PM, the boat that is hooked up must radio to the committee boat. They must convey that they are hooked up and will be fighting the fish past the lines out time of 3:00 PM. If and when the fish is landed please again radio or relay to the committee boat weather you have landed or not landed the fish so that proper measures can be made for the weigh master to be at the weigh in station and to inform Committee officials that you and your crew are safe. If you have declared that you are fighting a fish past the 3:00 PM lines out, you will be eligible to weigh that fish in after the scale closing of 7:30 PM on Saturday day of fishing, Sunday scale will close at 7:30 PM so as to calculate the winners.

10. The weigh in station:
The weigh in station will open at 2:30 PM and will close at 6:30 PM sharp. All boats that are in line prior to 6:30 PM will have their catch weighed-in even if it is after 6:30 PM. Please radio the weigh master on channel 68 VHF when you are near the NB buoy located at the end of the jetties. This will ensure that the weigh master is present when you arrive.
11. There will be no terminator or terminator line.
The closing of the weigh-in station at 7:30 PM signifies the end of the day’s fishing.
12. All tunas over tournament minimum lengths
All tunas over tournament minimum lengths must be brought to the weigh-in station in Nantucket. Tunas cannot be off loaded from a boat until a member of the tournament staff verifies the tuna that will be weighed in and will hand the boat a slip of paper with the name of the boat and the weight of the tuna.
13. There will be no transfer of fish from one boat to another.
The boat that caught the fish must bring the fish to the weigh in station.
14. Scoring system
BLUEFIN BLAST

  • This a release tournament, the most released Bluefin Tuna’s wins the tournament. In the event of a tie, the winner will be determined on time, who caught the last fish first.
  • Boats must take a picture at the beginning of each day on one device, camera or phone, and a picture of each fish that is caught for that day. Fish #1 would be a picture with the fish and one finger, fish #2 would be a picture with the fish and two fingers, ETC…. all photos will be reviewed to determine first place thru fifth place in the tournament.

CALCUTTA

  • 1 point per pound of eligible tuna weighed in. Each boat will be allowed to weigh-in one tuna per day. The daily winner will be determined by the weight of the tuna weighed in by a boat. The heaviest eligible tuna caught for that day will determine the winner of that day. The heaviest fish of both days will determine the winner of the 27-73” Heaviest Fish Callcutta and 73” and Above Heaviest Fish Callcutta.
  • If you decide to kill a tuna for personal consumption or to weigh in for the Calcutta’s please make sure that you have read the up to date regulations from NMFS for your permit. The trophies fish for recreational permit is closed for 2016, you will be disqualified if you have this permit and kill a fish over the length of 73″ inches.

 

15. FINAL decision:
The decision of the weigh master is final and cannot be appealed.
16 Disqualification:
The following situation will disqualify a catch. “Mutilation to the fish, prior to landing or boating the catch, caused by sharks, other fish, mammals or propellers that remove or penetrate the flesh.” (Injuries caused by leader or line, scratches, old healed scars or regeneration of deformities are not considered to be disqualifying injuries)” (IGFA rule)
17. Protests.
All protests must be in writing and handed to the Tournament Director prior to the 6:30 PM closing of the weigh-in station. All protests must be accompanied by $ 100 in cash (to be returned if the protest is upheld). In case more than one boat signs the protest, each boat will provide $ 100 (to be returned if the protest is upheld). All team members will agree with the final decision of the Tournament Director.
18. The rules that govern this tournament are the rules.
Any changes made to these rules will be distributed at least one week prior to the start of the tournament. Once the tournament starts there will be no changes to the rules and the tournament will be fished under the agreed upon rules.
19. IGFA record rules.
IGFA angling rules will apply if you are angling for an IGFA record. All crew members and anglers are expected to be familiar with IGFA rules. The angler must hook, fight and bring the fish to gaff unaided by any other person. No one other than the angler may touch the rod. A copy of the current IGFA rules will be provided to every boat.
20. The Final set of Rules:
The Final set of Rules that govern this tournament will be posted and is considered to be the Official set of rules for the tournament.
21. Official VHF channel
Channel 78 will be the official VHF channel for the tournament.  If Channel 78 has traffic or is a working channel on the day of tournament, Channel 74 will be used as the new official VHF channel for the tournament. All fish must be called in or relayed to another boat with the CFL of the tuna that has been landed. The current un-official leading length will be broadcast to ensure that none contending tunas will not be landed. We ask the help of captains with relaying of fish to the committee boat or to the tournament directors.

 

22. NMFS rules and regulations:
As per NMFS rules and regulations, there is to be no switching of fish, once a fish is boated that fish belongs to the captain and boat in which the permit is issued. All fish that are in contention must be radioed or relayed to the committee boat. This will ensure that your fish is logged and that there is no monkey business of a smaller fish being released for a larger fish. THIS IS PER THE RULES OF NMFS.