RULES

Official rules will be distributed and announced at the Briefing the day before the Championship’s start.
All participants agree to the terms of these rules by participating in the tournament.

Team Requirements
A team shall consist of 2 (two) up to 5 (five) anglers. Each registered angler will receive a Personal Angler’s Number.  If the boat cannot accommodate all anglers, they will be rotated in each day.
Individual anglers are allowed fishing only in a team. Individual anglers could, if so wishes, indicate the preferred anglers with whom he/she likes to fish with. Should the anglers not give any indication, if possible to arrange it, he will be assigned in a team in a random.
There is no restriction about the National Teams that can be registered by each section for the EFSA European Game Championship. Only Teams of European anglers can be admitted to participate in the EFSA European Game Championship.
All teams members can be replaced provided prior communication is given to the EFSA GCC.
Registered tournament charter boat’s captains or mates cannot be registered as tournament anglers.
All teams must participate in the boat draw. Teams will fish on a different charter boat each day.

Game Championship Headquarter
The Headquarter of the EFSA Game Championship will be located at  Playa Grande Resort & Grand Spa: Avenida Playa Grande Num. 1 – Cabo San Lucas , Mexico –BCS.

All informations  about the EFSA Game Championship 2016 will be displayed at  the Hotel Headquarter.

EFSA Game Championship Committee
The EFSA Game Championship Committee, head lined by the EFSA Game Championship Officer will be composed by an EFSA HQ’s supervisor, EFSA Hosting Section Officer,  and two members drawn from the list of anglers indicated by each Section (each Section must indicate an angler who fully understand the EFSA and IGFA rules) until September 30th , 2016.
The EFSA GCC, has right to investigate about any question regarding the Championship and will decide about any protest, penalties, disqualification, rules breaking, security problems, weather condition and any further arising problems during the EFSA Game Championship.

Mario Banaga              Radio Control Operator
Massimo Brogna         EFSA Game Championship Officer
Horst Schneider         EFSA HQ’s supervisor
Angler
Angler

EFSA Organization Committee
Massimo Brogna        EFSA Game Championship Officer
Minerva Saenz Valenzuela    Tournament’s Coordinator
Giacomo Forti            EFSA Hosting Section Officer

Teams Registration and Camera Check-in
All registered participants must check-in at the Registration Check in Desk to receive their credential, angler’s bag and register their video cameras.
The Registration Check-in Desk, will be located at Playa Grande Resort & Grand Spa on Sunday December 4th  from 03.00 p.m. until 05.00 pm.
Any team failing to check-in at that time, must inform the EFSA GCC prior to the registration date.

Boat Draw
Teams must fish each day in a different boat. There will be a previous boat draw to determine the boat line of each team for the four days. This boat draw will be held at Minerva’s Baja Tackle Shop on Sunday December 4th afternoon  at 11.00 am .
All boats will be drawn for each day starting from line 1. If a boat is already on the same line for one of the
previous days, this boat will take the following place available for the day until all line includes boats in a way
that each team will fish each day in a different boat.
The official Boat Draw will take place during the Briefing at Playa Grande Resort & Grand Spa on Sunday December 4th  from 05.30 p.m. until 07.00 pm.
Each team will take the row of boats with whom they will fish for the four fishing days.
All teams must participate in the boat draw. It is mandatory that one member of each team and any individual angler must be present at the briefing and the boat draw. If they do not attend, they accept and agree to be bound by all instructions and/or rule changes made orally or in writing during that meeting.

Briefing
The Championship’s briefing and final boat draw will be held at Playa Grande Resort & Grand Spa on Sunday December 4th  from 05.30 p.m. until 07.00 pm.
It is mandatory that at least one member of each team and any individual angler must be present at the briefing. If they do not attend, they accept and agree to be bound by all instructions and/or rule changes made orally or in writing during that meeting.

Fishing boundaries
The boundaries of the Championship’s fishing area will be :  From Boca de la Matancitas to Boca del Tule to the tips of Cabo San Lucas with bearing south, within 50 miles from the coast.
EFSA GCC will indicate the selected area at the briefing and reserve the right to change or reduce the Tournament’s Area.

Embarkation Dock
All teams will be embarked and disembarked at the IGY Marina Cabo San Lucas, Dinghy Dock – Lote A 18 de la Darsena  – Cabo San Lucas
www.igy-cabosanlucas.com      Phone: +52 624 173 9140.

Fishing Days/Times
All boats fishing in the EFSA Game Championship 2016, must depart from the designated starting point in front of  Cabo San Lucas Harbour .
The start and stop signal will be announced on the radio. All fish hooked up, lost, released or embarked must be reported to the Radio Control Operator prior to the time of the stop-fishing signal each day. If, in the event a fish is still hooked up at the call of stop fishing, the angler may keep fighting the fish for another 30 minutes.

E.F.S.A. Game Championship 2016:
Fishing days: Monday December 5th, Tuesday December 6th , Wednesday December 7th , Thursday December 8th
Fishing hours:  7 a.m.  Lines In  – 3 p.m. Lines Out
E.F.S.A. Roosterfish  Festival:  Friday December 9th  from 07.00 a.m. to 12.00 a.m.

Communications
All hook up, releases, lost and boated fishes intended to be weighed are to be reported to the Radio Control Operator along with the assigned team number, angler’s number and name, Boat’s position GPS  and fish species. All reported hook up will receive the time of hook up from Radio Control Operator.
All reported release/boated fish will receive time of catch from Radio Control Operator.
If a tournament boat is not able for any reason to communicate to the Radio Control Operator, any of the above events must be relayed via radio or cell phone in any manner to another boat. Catch time will be the time when the catch is reported to the Radio Control Operator, even for earlier catch. No exception. Refusal intentionally to communicate any fishing event to the Radio Control Operator will result in disqualification for the day. Radio Control’s time will act as the official time for the start, catch, release or boated fish and lines out each day without exception.
The official tournament VHS Channel is CHANNEL 24 .
To contact EFSA GCC please call at the following phone number.   0052
Fishing Rules
EFSA and IGFA Rules (copy will be attached to the Championship rules) will apply unless otherwise stated (See catch & release rules for scoring points), with one exception.
It is responsibility of each team and each individual angler to know, understand and abide to EFSA Game Championship Rules and IGFA Rules.  Only fish caught on rod and reel will earn points.
Boats will be required to have six rods and reels on board equipped with the official line of the EFSA GC 2016.
It is responsibility of each teams and each individual angler to check the boat’s equipments, tackle, leaders, hook arrangements and line prior to the start of fishing to be sure everything is working well and respect EFSA Game Championship Rules and the IGFA Rules.
Fishing for bait is permitted only during tournament fishing hours.
No lines are permitted in the water prior to the start of fishing.
Captains and Mates are not allowed to fish for live baits.
In the event a boat is disabled, a replacement boat will be rotated in for that day, when possible, but will not be possible to make up for lost time. In case of a boat failure, the EFSA GCC will try to replace it as soon as possible, when possible, but the time lost will not be regained and no extra time will be assigned.
Team must complete each day the Catch Report Form, which is supplied in the tournament bags at registration. The Catch Report Form must be signed by all anglers fishing in the boat that day and the Boat’s Captain, whether or not a fish was caught. The Catch Report Form must clearly report each catch and all information requested. In any case fish not reported to the radio operator will not count for points. In case of no correspondence between the Catch Report Form and the Radio Operator Report this last will take precedence.
No form, no points! In case catch or angler do not tie the Radio Operator catch report number only  points for team will be assigned.
The angler must handover the hook/lure, leader, line and double line for each caught fish in order to allow verification by EFSA GCC.
At the end of any fishing day, video camera, camera connections used to plug into a computer, Catch Report Form, terminal tackle and all video footage taken must be brought to the EFSA GCC for verification of official score points. Failure to do so will result in disqualification of that day’s catch.
The EFSA GCC has the right to investigate and act upon any incident occurring during the tournament.
It shall have the right to disqualify any capture following examination and measurement of tackle and equipment used on the boat.
The EFSA GCC holds the right to examine any tackle, hooks, line and/or leaders anytime during the event.
Any team or angler, who deliberately breaks the above mentioned rules or refuse to allow the EFSA GCC to examine any tackle, line and/or leaders, will immediately be disqualified and expelled from the tournaments without any refund, including the Registration fees.
All teams must turn in their Catch Report Form, video and weighed fish no later than 07:00 p.m. or catches of the day will be disqualified. The only exception is if the boat has mechanical difficulties.
In this case all fish to be weighed and release videos must be at the weigh station by 11:59 p.m. each day.
If any portion of the Championship is fished and a team or teams land or release fish that match the tournament’s eligible species and minimum weight or size limits, then prizes will be awarded.

Catch & Release Rules and Video:
All teams must provide their own camera(s) along with cable and download’s items to verify their catches and releases. All video recording equipment must be synchronized to the official tournament time. Teams must video their boat an team number each day before departing to go fishing. To score an official release or a measured fish, the video footage must include the charter boat and sufficient continuous footage to (1) clearly identify the species; (2) show clearly a team member or crew touching the leader while the fish is still hooked; (3) identify the time and date of the catch; (4) show the exact length of the fish on the IGFA Measuring Device; ( 5) show the catch or the full release of the fish. The video must be continuous, with no breaks in recording, and identify all of these elements. Do not delete any video taken during the tournament’s fishing hours, even if it does not include the above elements and will not be used to prove a catch. After any catch, official time of catch and time of release, species and angler name must be reported on the Catch Report Form.
If for any reason is not possible to clearly identify the fish or the length of the fish, points will not be awarded.
If is not possible to identify a billfish, team will be awarded with the minimum score for a released billfish.
After that, the fish must be safely released. No photo or video, no points.
The EFSA GCC reserves the privilege of changing the program, rules, starting and finishing times or cancel the tournament for any reason it deems necessary.

Scoring Points
Billfish: This is a total billfish release tournament.
Any blue marlin, black marlin, striped marlin, sailfish, spearfish or swordfish must be released in accordance with the tournament rules and shall be awarded the following points:

Blue and Black Marlin or Swordfish          earn 750 points per release
Striped Marlin                     earn 350 points per release
White Marlin Sailfish and Spearfish         earn 200 points per release

If a billfish is dead or nearly dead when landed and there is no chance for survival, the fish can be boated and the team receives points as a released fish.
If an angler catches a potential billfish world-record, that fish may be boated and weighed at the Official IGFA Weigh Station. If it is heavy enough to be considered for a world record or if, however, the fish is not heavy enough to be considered for a world record with a tolerance of a 10% of the existing record’s weight, the same points will be awarded as for released fish. If the fish weighs less than 10% of the existing record weight, the fish will be disqualified and same foreseen negative points will be assigned to the team.

Weighed Game Fish: in agreement with all State and Federal laws, points for the following 3 (three) Species Sections will be awarded on the basis set below for any game fish that exceeds the minimum weight limit of 25 (twenty five) pounds:

Section 1: TUNAS: Bluefin, Yellowfin, Bigeye, Skipjack, Dogtooth, Longtail and Blackfin Tuna, Albacore, Little Tunny
Section 2:  WAHOO &  MACKERELS
Section 3 : DOLPHIN

Each Team Is allowed to weight only 5 fishes per Section each day. One fish may be kept daily by the team.

 Awarding Points:
Game fish will be weighed to the tenth of a pound up to 200-pounds and to the pound for fish over 200-pounds. Teams will be awarded one point per pound for fish up to 99-pounds, one and a half points for fish 100-199-pounds and two points per pound for fish 200-pounds or more. For example, a 40.6-pound fish would earn 40.6 points. A 150-pound fish would earn 225 points and a 201-pound fish would earn 402-points. Any dead or boated fish is property of the Championship and will be donated to a local charity.

In case of tie, team or angler who released or boated the last fish first, will be declared the winner.

EFSA Roosterfish Festival Rules
This is a single angler Tournament All release. Anglers will fish two in a boat in a random.
This boat draw will be held at Minerva’s Baja Tackle Shop on Sunday December 4th afternoon at 11.00 am.
IGFA Rules will be apply to all catch. Lines up to 130 pounds. The angler with most fish will be the winner.
At the end of the tournament, Catch Report Form must be signed by all anglers and Captain.
All hook up and release must be reported to the Radio Control Operator along with the angler’s number and name. All reported hook up will receive the time of hook up. All reported release fish will receive time of catch. If a tournament boat is not able for any reason to communicate to the Radio Control Operator, any of the above events must be relayed via radio or cell phone in any manner to another boat. Catch time will be the time when the catch is reported to the Radio Control Operator, even for earlier catch. No exception. Refusal intentionally to communicate any fishing event to the Radio Control Operator will result in disqualification for the day. Radio Control’s time will act as the official time.   Official tournament VHS CHANNEL is       .

In case of tie, angler who released the last fish first, will be declared the winner.

Observers/Photographers/Guests
The EFSA GCC, at its sole discretion, may assign an observer or photographer/cameraman or guests to any boat on any fishing day. Observers do not determine official catch or release.

Fishing Line
All catches must be made on ANDE Tournament 30#  line class, yellow fluorescent hi-vis only, the Official line of the EFSA European Game Championship 2016.

Leaders
According with EFSA & IGFA Rules.

Rods, Teasers & Dredges
Unlimited  in use or numbers.

Hooks
All tournament participants must use non-offset circle hooks for all species whenever live or un-skirted natural bait is used. Lures may be rigged with J hooks. EFSA kindly thanks all anglers for not use inox hooks.

Baits & Lures
Live and dead baits, lures and any combination thereof are permitted in this tournament. Each Team (if available) will be equipped with 10 Live baits each day or 10 dead baits. Teams are allowed to purchase a maximum of another 20 live baits per day (same for the Roosterfish Festival).
Each Team will be allowed to fish live baits only during the fishing hours of each fishing day.  Live or dead bait may not be passed between boats. Live baits of the day cannot be used in the following fishing day.
Captains and mate are not allowed to fish for baits.

Weather
The EFSA EGCC, at his own discretion, has the right to suspend or cancel the Championship at any moment for bad weather condition.

Tipping
Tipping of Captains and Mates is expected and the responsibility of the team. Suggested tip for boat per day is  $ 150,00 and should be handed directly only to the boat captain.  Suggested tip for pangas $ 50,00.

Photos and Videos
By signing their entry form, all anglers gives to EFSA the right to use all video footage and photos received from participating anglers for internal use, promotional and press issues.

Dress Code
At the award dinner and prize giving, official EFSA Section shirt or polo is mandatory .

Award List & Ceremony
The complete list of the award will be presented at the briefing, right before the Championship.
In case there are no valid catches or any part of the tournament is cancelled, the awards will not be assigned.
The Award Ceremony will take place at  Playa Grande Resort & Grand Spa: Avenida Playa Grande Num. 1 – Cabo San Lucas , Mexico –BCS. on Friday, December 9th, 2016 at 07.30 pm.
Anglers not attending the Award ceremony, except for a justified reasons, will not receive awarded.

Protests
All protests must be stated in writing using the Protest Form and accompanied by $ 200,00 protest fee .
All protests will be settled on the day of the incident. All protests must be in the hands of the EFSA GCC by 08:00 p.m. on the day of the alleged incident, unless there is a protest regarding a fish that comes to the scales late. The protesting party, as well as the accused team members, captain and crew, must be present in any official protest hearing. If the accused or protesting teams fail to show up for the protest hearing, they forfeit their right to be heard and agree to abide by the decision made by the EFSA GCC. If protest up hold, teams will receive back the $ 200,00 protest fee. All decisions are final and non appellable.

Disclaimer
All registered anglers enter and participate in this EFSA Game Championship voluntarily and at their own risk. In consideration for the EFSA Game Championship Committee acceptance of his or her entry, each registered angler, for his or her, executors, and administrators, agrees to release, hold harmless and indemnify the European Federation of Sea Anglers, the EFSA Game Championship Committee, the EFSA Organizing Committee, the officers, managers, directors, agents sponsors, donors and all other persons connected directly or indirectly with the operation of the Championship, from and against any and all liabilities, claims, actions, damages, costs, fees or expenses which he or she may have against any above-described party arising out of or in any way connected with his or her participation in this EFSA Game Championship, including any injury or death suffered by any registered angler.
Each registered angler and participant understands and assumes full responsibility agreeing and releasing, and waiving any claims for liability, slander and negligence.