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Welcome to the Sturdivant Island Tuna Tournament homepage. It is with great pride that we bring to you Maine
and New England's premier Cash Prize big-game fishing event.
When our first public contest was held in August 1998 no one
could have predicted what a smashing success it would become
with New England tuna fishermen. Based out of Spring Point Marina
in South Portland, Maine, the Sturdivant Island Tuna Tournament
has quickly developed a reputation as an event where honesty
and fair play are the rule, where camaraderie and fun come
naturally.
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Our Contributions to the Community
With the help of tournament participants and generous sponsors, SITT has made charitable
contributions of nearly $300,000 over the past 10 years including
$50,000 in 2007 alone. As a memorial to our good friend and tournament supporter Peter Hunt, we have made a $15,000 donation to his charitable fund. The Sturdivant Island Tuna Tournament
Scholarships at Southern and Northern Maine Community Colleges received a total of $25,000 for 2007. Some of our other worthy recipients include the Byron R. Gouzie Foundation, the McAuley Residence at Mercy Hospital, and the Isaac Baker "Baker-Mobile" fund.
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BIG Prizes up for Grabs
We are talking about some serious loot guys! 2006, 2007, and 2008 prizes will been pooled this year so the five largest tunas landed in the '08 contest will qualify for cash prizes totaling $37,500. As an added incentive, the
largest Bluefin landed that officially sets the Maine State
Rod and Reel Record, will win a Grand Prize award
of $50,000!
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SITT 2006 and 2007 - the Dogfish Win!
Despite an excellent historical catch record, 2006 and 2007 were tough seasons. A huge factor has been the prevalence of the spiny dogfish in the Gulf of Maine which has essentially rendered traditional bait fishing methods useless. Nearly every boat that attempted bait fishing was swarmed by thousands of these pests. The negative impact that such an enormous biomass of predators has on our fisheries must be staggering. On the upside, many smaller tuna were landed mostly by boats trolling squid rigs but were ineligible for tournament entry.
A recent dogfish forum held on the University of New England campus in Biddeford brought out many of the stakeholders in the fisheries to review the current science and express their views. The May 2008 edition of Commercial Fisheries News contains an excellent review of the information exchanged. It's a must read for anyone with an interest in our marine environment.
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A History of Big Fish!
Back in 2005, catches included the 1st place
676.5 pound giant landed by Bo Adam's crew aboard F/V Cindy K.
Fish Hunter landed another monster, this one weighing in at 648.05-lb.
3rd place fell to David Webber's crew aboard F/V Release with a 597.55-lb fish.
The details of all entries can be on our Leader
Board page.
Out of the 28 boats that participated in
1998, twelve Giant Bluefin Tuna ranging from 387-pounds to
735-pounds were landed during the three day event. Our 1999
tournament action was slower but the fish ran very large.
The 931.80-lb monster landed
by the crew of Cheryl Lin set the standard for all SITT fish
to be judged by. What a behemoth! Exciting fish stories
need not be fictional when fishing the Tuna grounds of Southern
Maine!
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Our Invitation
Once again, we would like to extend
an invitation to owners or operators of any vessels operating
under the General Category Tuna rules, including Head-boat
Category vessels, to join us for a fantastic tournament. Browse
this web site to find all of the information and forms necessary
to enter. If you are interested please do not delay, the tournament
has a limited entry of 40 boats. Return those forms to the
Tournament Office and get in on the fun! We look forward to
fishing with you in August!.
Tight lines and
best of luck,
The Sturdivant
Island Tuna Tournament
Committee
Schedule of Events
Wednesday,
August 6, 2008
6:00am - 7:00pm
Vessel Arrival
7:00pm Captain's
Meeting (Mandatory)
Review of
Rules and Regs
Social (Beer
and Appetizers provided) Cash Bar Available
Auction
Location: Tournament Tent
Thursday,
August 7, 2008
12:00am Fishing
Begins (Lines in the water) and continues until August 4th
Saturday,
August 9, 2008
4:00pm Fishing
Closes (Lines out of water)
5:00pm Dinner Available (prices posted)
Location: Tournament
Tent
6:00pm
Official Scales Close
7:00pm Awards
Ceremony
Location:
Tournament Tent
Need a DeLORME
map to Spring Point?
Click the link & search
for "Spring Point, ME"
Copyright
(c) 1998-2008 by Sturdivant Island Tuna Tournament
All Rights Reserved |
