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Alia fishing tournament begins Thanksgiving

A three-day tournament— “Reel in the Biggest Fish”—begins Thanksgiving Day for all Alia fishermen who have registered to compete for their very first Thanksgiving Fishing Competition.

 

“This is done for the spirit of these times and especially for the trade itself— beat the weather and reel in the biggest catch of the day!” said Eo Sonoma one of the well known local fishermen around the Pago bay area.

 

The meeting for all fishermen of the Pago Alia Fishermen Association [PAFA] and others who may have an interest in participating was held Tuesday at the Fagatogo Marketplace Conference Room for final discussions before the meet, which starts early —5:00 am on Thursday morning.

 

The registration fee for each participating Alia is $200, to be paid to the DMWR office. The number of helpers which each fishermen can use is unlimited and each fisherman can alternate helpers for three days of fishing. According to PAFA Pres. Va’amua Sesepasara, “The rules are very strict: reel in the fish using the fishing rods and reels, no long line fishing, and we will know the difference. We’ve been through enough game fishing to attain the knowledge of knowing what you used.”

 

“Prizes are not yet known, due to lateness in delivering pledge letters for some local sponsors, but the prizes will be good and satisfying. Just get in the biggest fish, then we will see,”said Sesepasara.

 

Of the letters sent out to solicit prizes, only TRI Marine answered with intention to help out the fishers in their tournament but asked for the association to prioritize their needs. After some discussions, PAFA decided to ask TRI Marine for ice for catch storage during the tournament and a monetary donation to help out for the prizes.

 

DMWR lent them another helping hand with their prizes as well gas used by the fishermen. It was announced that their total gas is two 44 drum gallons of gas for each alia at a price of $1.75 per gallon.

 

The categories for the tournament will range for three separate days. The first day will look for the biggest billfish, the biggest Yellowfin, the biggest Wahoo, the biggest Masimasi and the biggest miscellaneous fish. That is repeated the second day.

 

On the third day, additional prizes will be given to the biggest total catch of Miscellaneous fish.

 

Choosing the winning ticket fish for all three days rests with the Tournament Committee — and they will use some catch for the meals of the award ceremony, some will be donated for the sponsors and DMWR helpers, and the rest will be delivered to Hope House for Thanksgiving.

 

All competing alias will have to be anchored at Fagatogo Marina to make sure the tournament begins on time.