It pays to always have your correct fishing license. And sometimes it costs you A LOT when you don’t.
The winning fishing team in the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in Morehead City, NC found that out when they lost a prize of $1.2 million dollars because a mate on their boat did not have his $30 nonresident NC coastal recreational fishing license.
According to the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament official website, the team on the Hatteras, NC-based boat Citation was disqualified by the tournament board of directors despite landing what would have been a tournament record 883-pound blue marlin and thinking they had won $1.2 million.
Tournament directors spent three days consulting with NC’s attorney general and other state officials before deciding to withhold the money. The Big Rock board of directors voted unanimously to disqualify the Citation’s team for breaking the tournament rules.
Andy Thomasson of Richmond caught the near-record fish on June 14, the first day of the tournament. But tournament organizers were able to confirm that mate Peter Wann of Alexandria had purchased his fishing license while on his way to the weigh station after the fish was caught.
Wann failed a polygraph test about the incident and was cited by NC officials for fishing without a license. Eventually the state Division of Marine Fisheries confirmed the timing of Wann’s license purchase.
Big Rock officials declared Tuesday that runner-up Carnivore, of Cape Carteret, NC, is the official winner for a 528.3-pounder caught on the third day by John Parks of Jacksonville, NC.
"We didn't do anything wrong," Thomasson told the Jacksonville Daily News, "but one of our people did. He failed to get a fishing license, but we didn't know it. He told us he had it. He didn't. So you take a man for his word, you know? They're taking it away, everything. The fish is disqualified. We're disqualified. That's the end of it."
Comments
Cut him up and use him for fish bait.Oh yea might as well do the same to the captain for being too stupid to ask each guy to show him their license.The old saying goes, Never assume,it just makes an ass out of you and me.
I think it is the boats responsibility to have A LICENSE for any who happen to be on the boat. For example, in the same county of Carteret, just 20 miles away you can fish on the pier for a fee without obtaining an individual license. So families of all ages and volumes don't have to worry about getting all in the family individual license.
Since this issue is new to the committee, may I suggest two things.
1) The lICENSE should be a part of the boats FEE to fish in the tournament/ and to cover kids and family members that might want to be on the boat..even as a spectator..
2) I feel that the boat,"The Citation", should be assed a repremanned without the total loss of the title moneys.
Now the way you would determine how to figure that amount...the total purse divided by the persons on board. So,at $1.2 million divided by 4 guys on board...well you do the math..
thank you , jf
Its the captains fault for not checking everyone for thier license.
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