Well I just watched around 42 teams from all over the world depart Cabo San Lucas in a cloud of turbo charged diesel exhaust fumes competing for bragging rights and the chance to call themselves and their team the 2012 off shore champions for the International Game Fish Associations. This year Bryan Replogle from San Carlos Aquatic Adventures is the team from San Carlos so I wish them all the best. Here is a short video with some images from registration and I will post some shots of the shot gun start later today or tomorrow.
To be quite honest I have mixed feeling about IGFA and The Bill Fish Foundation in America and several of the Mexican Fishing Associations as well. I feel they have done far to little to promote conservation of the species and spent far to much time focused on making money. This observation is based of course on the unfortunate fact that these organizations gave us absolutely ZERO support on our Dorado documentary and ZERO support on the initiative to stop the importation of Dorado into the U.S.A.
Ellen Peel from the Bill Fish Foundation blew us off completely and Jason Schratwieser, the conservation director for IGFA did pretty much the same although I have to give Jason a bit more credit. He actually did make one phone call to a contact in the U.S. government and I did exchange a few emails with the guys at IGFA. Ellen on the other hand did give me an interview back in 08 but after that never even returned an email from us.
So I would say to everyone next time you have a free moment contact IFGA or the bill fish fund and mention to them that it might be a good idea to support the closure of the U.S. border to the illegal importation of sport fishing species from Mexico.
Jason Schratwieser
Conservation Director
International Game Fish Association
300 Gulf Stream Way
Dania Beach, FL 33004
954-924-4320
www.igfa.org
The Billfish Foundation
5100 N. Federal Hwy, Suite 200
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308
(954)938-0150
(800)438-8247