Rules & Regulations

34th Annual North Atlantic
MONSTER SHARK TOURNAMENT®
July 16th – 19th, 2020, Fairhaven MA

Welcome to the 34th Annual North Atlantic MONSTER SHARK TOURNAMENT®, the preeminent sport fishing event in New England. As always, expect world-class sport fishing, fine dining and excitement for all. The top three finishers will be awarded with a variety of valuable prizes and awards. Whether you are a prominent angler with a top placing boat from a previous year, or just getting started in tournament fishing, you will want to be part of the excitement of this event. Please send your application and entry fee as soon as possible as slip and mooring space is limited and we want to accommodate everyone’s needs.

TOURNAMENT RULES

1. All boats must be registered by Thursday July 18th by the conclusion of the MST Captain’s Meeting.
2. IGFA rules. Official tournament time is local GPS time.
3. Unlimited tackle, 130 lb. Line test maximum.
4. Only one shark may be brought to the dock for weighing per day.
5. Only Thresher, Porbeagle* and Mako count for score. Minimum weight for Thresher and Porbeagle* is 250 lb. Minimum weight for Mako is 200 lb. No other shark species count for score. Boats weighing in Thresher or Porbeagle* sharks less than 225 lb. will be penalized 100 points. Boats weighing in Mako sharks less than 175 lb. will be penalized 100 points. Sharks that are at least 84” (snout to fork) will not be penalized.
6. Fishing hours are from Friday July 19th at 6am to Saturday July 20th at 2pm.
7. All sharks must be weighed in at the North Atlantic MONSTER SHARK TOURNAMENT weigh-in station located at West Island Marina, in Fairhaven. Tournament registered boats may depart from any marina.
8. The MST Weigh Station hours are from 4pm – 8pm on Friday, and from 2pm – 5:30pm on Saturday. No shark will be weighed in before or after these time periods.
9. Selection of VHF Tournament channel at Captain’s Meeting.
10. All sharks are the boat’s property and are subject to inspection by the Tournament Biologist.
11. Bang sticks, guns and cockpit harpoons are not allowed to be used per IGFA rules.
12. There is no weather committee. The decision to fish is left solely to participants who do so at their own risk.
13. Any protest must be made in writing and presented to the Tournament Committee by 7:00 PM each day.
14. The Grand Prize winner may be subject to a polygraph test.
15. All Tournament Committee decisions are final. There are no refunds.
16. All fish weighed in for prize consideration must be caught from a registered boat. This is a boat tournament, in the event of a mechanical failure participants may fish from another vessel. The Tournament Committee must be advised in writing prior to a vessel change.
17. There is no limit to the number of fishing rods.
18. No Transfer of Sharks to another boat.
19. All participants are responsible for the information and rules reviewed at the Captains Meeting.
20. All boats are required to submit Release Affidavits to the Tournament Committee during weigh station hours or at the MST awards banquet on Saturday July 20th.
21. A sportsman like conduct (ashore and afloat) is required of all MST participants and their guests.
22. Only one angler may hook and fight a fish (NO passing the rod). The angler must remove the rod from the rod holder as quickly as possible (NO fighting from the rod holder).
23. No baiting, chumming or shark fishing can be done outside of the fishing hours. Chum buckets and baits must be attached to the vessel while fishing. Bait fishing is allowed outside of tournament times.
24. Any vessel winning first place three consecutive years will be prohibited from contending the fourth year.
25. The payout of the MST prize pool is pending on meeting the minimum requirement of 20 boats.
26. All sharks weighed in need to meet ALL tournament minimum size requirements to be eligible for points or prizes.

SCORING

(1.0) point per pound will be awarded for Thresher – 250 lbs. or greater.
(1.0) point per pound will be awarded for Mako – 200 lb. or greater
(0.75) point per pound will be awarded for Porbeagle – 250 lb. or greater.

Only one Porbeagle per Year may be weighed in.

Overall winning score will be the combined total points of the two days.
Thresher Award: the heaviest Thresher with a minimum weight of 250 lb.
Porbeagle* Award: the heaviest Porbeagle* with a minimum weight of 250 lb.
Mako Award:  the heaviest Mako with a minimum weight of 200 lb.

In case of a tie the first shark weighed in takes lead position.

All species of sharks (except dog fish) count for the following awards

• Release Award:  all releases must be properly recorded on Release Affidavits supplied in the Tournament Package.
• Junior Angler Award:  (16 yrs. or younger) Releases must be properly recorded on Release Affidavits.
• Female Release Award: all releases must be properly recorded on Release Affidavits supplied in the Tournament Package.

*For Tags Write To: NMFS, Apex Predators Program, 28 Tarzwell Drive, Narragansett, RI 02882 Tel. 401-782-3320.