Nine sports fishing tournaments have been scheduled this year with the Marlin Slam coming up on April 15, while two have already taken place.
The Marlin Slam will be a release tournament in which the crew will have to film and measure their catch, before releasing them to sea. The team with the biggest marlin caught and released will be declared the winner.
After the Marlin Slam, the Trevally Slam will take place in May, followed by the South East Monsoon Sailfish Tournament, the Yellowfin Tuna Cup, the La Digue Tournament, the Junior Tournament and finally, the Big Game Classic to end the year.
The first tournament for the year was the Heineken Fun Fish Slam won by Team Tsunami on January 28.
In March, the National Championship took place, where Team Paola was the grand winner, claiming a slew of individual titles as well, after fishing for over 30 hours.
“It was tough and we did not expect to win first place, but we did our best and we are very happy with that,” said Team Paola captain, Charles Marzzochi.
They were followed by Team Rasta Shark, the smallest boat in the tournament, with just four crew members, with Rig Runners in third.
The National Championships featured seven boats, but only five managed to complete the tournament.
A member of the Seychelles Sports Fishing Club (SSFC), Farouk Baptiste, explained that the low turnout could have been due to the length of time the boats had to stay at sea.
“This year, the competing boats were smaller than usual and so it was quite difficult for them to stay overnight, while other boats encountered mechanical issues that caused them to abandon their outing,” added Baptiste.
Meanwhile, the team and skippers’ leagues are also on this year, with teams looking to dethrone last year’s winners, Team Soolyman and Francis Marie, respectively.
The Seychelles Sports Fishing Club is a relatively young club, founded in April of 2009. It is a non-profit association committed to promoting sport fishing in Seychelles, aiming to balance conservation and education with traditional angling practices.