Tinian Cliff Derby back with a mission

Not long after announcing the return of next month’s Great Tinian Cliff Fishing Derby, organizers are gearing up for a lot of entrants into the traditional tournament that runs from Friday, April 8, through to Sunday, April 10.

According to 10th Tinian Municipal Council executive director James M. Mendiola Jr., there are already 27 confirmed participants as of last week, with more surely on the way.

“Last minute registration is quite the norm for this type of event. Currently, there are fishermen interested from Guam, Saipan, and Tinian. Just from the number of inquiries we are expecting, at least 70 to 100 participants for this year’s event,” he said.

The Tinian Fishing Derby was a staple event for Tinian for about 19 years. For reasons unclear to the Municipal Council, the event went into a decline in popularity in the later years. According to Mendiola, it is because of the recent inquiries into the event that the municipal council was prompted into reviving the event.

Now the focus will be not only on hosting the tournament, but working to insure the continuation of the event well into the future.

“For our tournament we have opened up five designated fishing sites to accommodate the larger number of participants we are anticipating this year: Puntan Diablo, South Dumpcoke, Target, Masalok Point, and Fleming Point. Furthermore, as one of the largest concerns raised after the fishing derby three years ago was the improper disposal of refuse and broken fishing lines, this year’s derby will reflect a more environmentally responsible theme,” said Chairman, 10th TMC Edwin P. Aldan.

Though all of the details are yet to be released, the winner of the Biggest Fish Category will take home $1,000 in cash, while the second and third place finishers will reel in $500 and $300 respectively. The top three finishers of the Total Weight and Most Variety categories also stand to take home an assortment of cash and prizes.

Although the most variety category affords fisherman the opportunity to win with a wide range of the ocean’s fish, organizers urge anglers to use common sense, and that eels and sharks will not be included.

“Of course, we would like fishermen to use their judgment as far as using the catch and release methods for fish that are clearly unnecessary to keep,” said Mendiola.

The Tinian Municipal Council organized the event with support from the Tinian Mayor’s Office and local businesses in keeping with the Marianas Visitors Authority’s 2005 sports tourism destination promotional efforts to lure more visitors through events such as this is beginning to generate quite a stir with inquiries from cliff fishing enthusiasts.

To register for the derby, participants must submit their $35 entrance fee no later than the Friday, April 1, deadline. For more information about the derby contact Alex Sandbergen with the 10th Tinian Municipal Council by calling 433-3470/ 2002, Ellen Ikehara with the Tinian office of the MVA by calling 433-9365, or Ed Diaz with the Saipan office of the MVA by calling 664-3271/ 3200.

Further information is available online at either www.tinianonline.com by clicking on The Great Tinian Cliff Fishing Derby, or at the MVA website at www.mymarianas.com.