$1 Million Sailfish
11/29/2006 3:21:57 PM by Tony Albelo
The catch of a lifetime awaits just below the surface with two tournaments that have probability-savvy anglers salivating for an easy million.
Photos by Greg Gawlikowski
Fishing is one of America’s favorite pastimes. In fact, it’s the fourth most popular sport with more participants on a yearly basis than soccer and tennis combined. Fishing gives people a chance to connect with nature and, if the catching is going well, quench the inner desire to be a “provider.” For many, it’s a quiet time to spend relaxing. For others, it’s all about spending quality time with their family. There’s even a small segment of “anglers,” the politically correct, modern replacement for “fishermen,” that fishes for the competition. These tournaments occur all over the U.S. throughout the year, and for every possible species. There are tournaments for bass, walleye, trout, salmon, tuna, mahi mahi, marlin, sailfish and many more. Mostly these competitions involve little money, and bragging rights is the most coveted prize offered, but there’s one segment of the tournament world which is all about the money — a lot of money.
Billfish tournaments are the pinnacle of fishing tournaments, often offering upwards of $100,000 in cash prizes. Two of these tournaments are the FYI Sailfish Kickoff and the Sea Vee/Mercury Mayor’s Cup, both held out of Miami. These tournaments have put a new twist into tournament fishing: a $1 million dollar twist, to be exact.
In an effort to promote conservation, these tournaments are all-release. So how do event organizers know that all teams are being honest and properly reporting their releases? After all, anglers are known for stretching the truth. Well, there are several devices in place to ensure the integrity of the tournament and of the competing teams. A volunteer corps of judges called “observers” are placed on boats to make sure that teams abide by all the tournament rules. These observers are trained in what to look for in order to have a qualifying release. As an extra level of security, top teams are given polygraph examinations at the conclusion of the tournament. In combination, the observers and polygraph exams keep the teams honest and the tournament integrity at the highest possible level.
So now we know that teams are honest and the catches being reported are accurate. What about the million dollars?
A million dollars can change anyone’s life. It can put several children through college. It can help get a family out of debt. A million dollars can set up trust funds for children and grandchildren. Maybe it can get someone the house or car of their dreams. The list goes on, but one thing is certain: A million dollars will change your life.
In November, a film crew, photographer and several witnesses embarked on an extraordinary fishing trip. On the surface, the trip was like any other (except for the film crew). It was just a day of fishing for sailfish. What made this trip unique was the quarry, or what the quarry would be transformed into. The crew set out to catch a normal sailfish and convert it into a million dollar sailfish. How was this accomplished? Simple. What makes this sailfish so special is that once it was caught, it was tagged with a unique tag. The sailfish was released back into the water and swam away. Unbeknownst to the sailfish, he was now worth a million dollars.
Out there in the Atlantic Ocean swims an otherwise normal sailfish. But not normal for any team lucky enough to catch this particular sailfish, for whoever catches this sailfish and removes the tag will be the winner of $1 million. Anyone competing in the 2006 FYI Sailfish Kickoff or the 2007 Sea Vee/Mercury Mayor’s Cup is eligible for the prize. It’s that simple.
What are the odds? It must be near impossible, right? Wrong. Figures from the National Marines Fisheries Service report that 3-5% of tags are reported as recovered. Many suspect that the actual rate of re-caught tagged sailfish is higher, but just not reported. Add to that figure that teams will have four days of fishing to find the fish, and suddenly the odds start to become much better.
Dan Kipnis is the radioman and on the rules committee for both of these tournaments and for other tournaments around the world. “I’ve never heard of anything like this,” explains Kipnis. “The odds are much better than people think. Someone is going to catch that fish.”
And the fishing community agrees. Registrations for these tournaments have hit record numbers. Teams from across the U.S. and the Caribbean have signed up for this modern-day treasure hunt. “We have teams from Texas, New York, Chicago, Virginia, Puerto Rico and even one from Canada,” says Marilyn Bayona, tournament assistant director.
And the buzz in the media has also been out of control. Seven different magazines and newspapers as well as two television shows are going to cover the events. Scott Shane, executive producer of The Bite, says this is a great story for TV. “Hell, this is just a great story… period.” To add to the excitement, the actual date, time and location of where the sailfish was caught and released will be revealed before each tournament. “This information can be valuable in targeting the possible location of the fish,” explains world-renowned captain Ray Rosher of the venerable charter boat the Miss Britt. Rosher himself has clients in from San Antonio to compete in both tournaments.
So if you are out on the ocean this December or January and you see hundreds of boats headed your way, you have two choices: Either get out of their way or drop in a line for your own shot at catching The $1 Million Sailfish.