About 150 Anglers To Compete In M'sia's Sabah International Fishing Tournament 2016 - SAA

KOTA KINABALU (Sabah, Malaysia), Dec 18 (Bernama) -– At least 150 anglers are expected to take part in the upcoming Sabah International Fishing Tournament (SIFT) in Terumbu Layang-Layang from April 19 to 24 next year. Event organiser Sabah Anglers Association (SAA) president Wilfred Lingham said anglers would be coming from Singapore, Dubai, Macau, China, Brunei and Malaysia with more registrations expected to be received before the closing date on March 12, 2016. “The tournament has also been extended an extra day after we received feedback from past and future participants about the long journey. It takes 36 hours to travel from Kota Kinabalu to Layang-Layang island and back for the game. “In view of this we have decided to hold the event for six days and five nights next year,” he said at a press conference here Thursday when announcing the tournament sponsored by the Sabah Tourism Board and co-sponsored by Sri Palancongan and Sutera Harbour Resort. Six anglers with the biggest catch will receive between US$115 (RM500) to US$5,786 (RM25,000) cash prizes and certificates. The winning fish will be auctioned off to the public with proceeds going towards a welfare organisation yet to be decided by SAA. Lingham said the annual championship had been conducted in Terumbu Layang-Layang since April this year after being held in waters around Mengalum island over the last 15 years. “The major attraction for people is they love the challenge of fishing in Layang-Layang island -- this is where the big fish are found. An 85kg giant grouper was caught in the last game in April and we believe there are bigger fish out there,” he added. Lingham warned participants against using electric reels in next year’s tournament after a number of anglers were caught doing so in the last event. He said the tournament was a tourism event and the organiser did not want to ruin the game’s reputation by compromising on regulations. “The event's aim is also to practice conservation and catch and release. Some fish are banned from catching such as those not considered sport fish or are a threatened species like bill fish, rays, hump head wrasse and sharks,” he added. Flagging of participants will take place at the Sutera Harbour Marina and Country Club at 9am on April 19 next year. -- BERNAMA