Introduction The Riviera Zane Grey Invitational Marlin Tournament features three days of fishing and will utilize a modified release format with a point scoring system. Zero offset circle hooks are required for use with live and/or dead baits. The minimum weight for a striped marlin is 165-pounds. This minimum weight could be adjusted after reviewing fishing conditions and catches a few weeks prior to the Tournament. Scoring of points by teams will be determined as follows: For a boated striped marlin over the minimum weight, the team will receive two points per pound for the minimum weight plus three points per pound for each pound over the minimum weight. Example: a 200-pound striped marlin would be worth 330 + 105 = 435 points; a 180-pound fish would score 330 + 45 = 375 points. A team is allowed points only on its largest weighed fish for the tournament. Released striped marlin is worth 100 points per release. A team will receive 90 points for a fish that meets the minimum 84-inch rule but does not meet the minimum weight of 165-pounds as described in the following paragraph. Based on the minimum weight of 165-pounds the Tournament has set an official length of 84 inches, measured from the lower lip to the fork in the tail, as a standard to be used. Any striped marlin brought back to the scales weighing less than the minimum weight and less than 84 inches, will result in a penalty of 100 points plus four points for each pound below minimum weight and the fish will be disqualified. However, if the fish meets or exceeds the 84-inch length the team will receive 90 points for the catch even if the fish weighs less than the minimum 165-pounds. The 90 points counts as weighed fish points and will not be counted towards daily or overall points if another fished is weighed during that day or during the tournament. Penalty points will count towards a teams final standing in the tournaments’ Cash Prize division but will not carry forward or backward any days in respect to the Optional Daily Jackpot Division. All boated fish must be weighed. Failure to weigh a boated fish will result in tournament disqualification and forfeiture of any previous points, prizes, and daily jackpots. Released striped marlin are worth 100 points per release. An official release occurs when the leader or swivel reaches the rod tip or when the mate or a team member grabs the leader (not the double line) and the event is recorded on video with the fish in the picture. The release of the fish must be captured on the team’s video camera with the audio turned on and the volume set to an adequate level for subsequent playback. All VHF radio instructions by Tournament Control must be followed or the release will not count. The fish does not have to be tagged to be counted as a released fish. Teams are not permitted to be entered in and fish a second tournament that overlaps in any manner the fishing times of the Zane Grey Invitational Marlin Tournament. Fishing Procedure A grid map will be provided to all team captains. Tournament Control shall be notified immediately when a fish is hooked-up and then immediately when it has been boated. The team must report within 10 minutes of hook-up the approximate location according to the grid map. Tournament Control may request Lat/Long position of any tournament boat at any time. Any fish hooked prior to "Stop Fishing" time may be played until lost or boated if Tournament Control has been notified at time of hook-up. All fish must be weighed on the day caught at the official weigh-in station in Avalon Harbor. There is a back-in-the-harbor deadline time of 6:30PM on Monday and Tuesday and 5:30 PM on Wednesday that must be met or your weighed fish or released fish will not qualify. If you are late we will still weigh any fish you have on board to determine if any penalty points may accrue to the team for an undersized fish. A team is considered back inside the harbor when their vessel breaks the line between the red and green harbor entrance lights. The rod, reel, line, lure and leader with hook must be presented to the Tournament Judges, for inspection. Once a marlin is brought into the boat’s cockpit, it shall be deemed boated and must be weighed. General Rules A team shall consist of one to six team members with one team member designated as the Team Captain. A maximum of six persons is allowed on board during Tournament fishing hours. Team Captains will be responsible for all correspondence and payments to Catalina Classic , Inc. and distribution of all prize money to their team. It is also their responsibility to insure that all team members follow all Rules and Regulations of the Tournament. Any misrepresentation on the team’s signed entry form, signed release affidavit, signed weighmaster certificate or violation of any Tournament rule will be cause for disqualification and forfeiture of any prize money and merchandise won in the tournament. Decisions by the Rules Committee of Catalina Classic , Inc., on any question of Tournament Rules or interpretation, shall be final. Any disputes arising between the Tournament and a team captain or any of his team members may be settled by binding arbitration at the sole discretion of the Tournament’s rules committee. It is the team’s responsibility to remove a weighed fish from the scale area and take it back on board their vessel after the weighing and measuring process has been completed. The Tournament has no facilities to clean and process a weighed fish. Each team captain represents that he or she will do so and will not dump the carcass after cleaning the fish within one mile of Avalon Harbor. Tournament boats shall be required to have a VHF radio with channel 71 for communication purposes. Radio silence must be observed, unless there is an emergency or a hookup, during the last 30 minutes prior to stop fishing. Radio communications between tournament boats will be permitted, but not on channel 71. All boats must fly the official Tournament flag during the Tournament. Helicopters, official observers, fixed wing aircraft and a marine biologist may be utilized by Tournament Officials to aid in the enforcement of all Tournament Rules. Registration will be on September 16th, at The Landing Restaurant from 3:00 to 5:00 PM. Attendance is mandatory for all team captains at a 5:00 PM team captain meeting. All team captains will receive final Tournament instructions by mail prior to the Tournament date. Special Rules It there are no qualifying fish, weighed-in or released, to claim the 1st through 3rd Place Regular Cash Prizes, the unclaimed cash prizes will be added to the claimed prizes on a pro-rata basis. If an insufficient number of Daily Jackpot Division fish are weighed-in or released to claim all Daily Jackpot Cash Prizes, the Tournament will refund those entry fees less the portion deemed earned by the Tournament. If no qualifying fish are released or weighed-in during the Tournament, or if weather causes a cancellation, the Tournament will be extended to include Thursday the 18th of September. One day of fishing will constitute a Tournament. If after Thursday there are any unclaimed cash prizes, they will be added to and carried forward to next year’s respective cash prizes. Any ties resulting from tournament scoring practices will be decided (broken) based on the earliest time of day the teams involved reached their respective point totals. The team, which reached their points first, shall be declared the winner. Tackle IGFA Rules will apply in the Tournament unless specifically modified in this document or at the Captain’s briefing on September 14th by the rules committee. Copies of IGFA rules can be obtained by calling 714-258-0445 and requesting a copy be mailed. They will also be available at registration on September 14th. Rods and reels must be used, leaders are limited to 30 feet overall length. Double line may be used, but the combined length of double line and leader must not exceed 40 feet. There is no restriction on the breaking strength of a leader or double line material. There is no limit to the number of lines that can be in the water at one time. The use of firearms, harpoons, or entangling devices is prohibited. Fishing line must not exceed 80-pound breaking strength. Artificial lures with skirts or trailing material shall not have more than ONE single hook attached to the line or leader and must conform to IGFA rules. For live or dead bait fishing, Circle Hooks must be used and must conform to tournament rules (manufactured zero offset). Hooks must be imbedded in or securely attached to the bait. Every weighed fish will have loose bait and debris removed from its mouth cavity prior to being weighed. The use of spotter planes or spotter boats is not allowed. The rod, reel, line, lure and leader with hook must be presented to Tournament Judges for inspection at the scales. Disqualification The following acts or situations will disqualify a team or its catch: 1. Fishing outside the designated grid area will disqualify all fish caught that day. 2. Fishing before "Start Fishing" or after "Stop Fishing" will disqualify a team. 3. Any foreign substances (example: lead weights, ice, metal objects) 4. Mutilation of the fish by propellers or sharks will disqualify the fish. 5. Boats, which habitually abuse F.C.C. regulations or Tournament Regulations regarding radio communications, are subject to disqualification. Illegal radio or electronic gear found on a team’s boat will be grounds for immediate disqualification. Teams caught communicating in any manner with spotter planes or commercial boats during tournament fishing hours will be disqualified. The use of profanity on the radio is strictly prohibited. 6. Only team members shall participate. Any fish boated with non-team member assistance will be disqualified. The use of firearms is strictly prohibited. 7. Boats are not allowed to come in contact with or pass anything to another vessel during fishing hours unless given permission by tournament control. 8. Any boated fish not weighed will disqualify a team. 9. Any other act not in strict compliance with the rules or intent set forth herein. 10. No more than 6 people are allowed on a tournament boat during fishing hours. 11. Not using Tournament approved zero offset circle hooks when live or dead bait fishing. Entry Fees Entry in the Zane Grey Invitational Tournament is limited. The regular price for the entry fee is $4,420. The entry fee of $4,250 reflects cash, check, and wire transfer or money order discount. Deposits and entry fees will be refunded for cancellations received prior to September 1st, 2007. Rule Changes and Protest Policy Any amendments or additions to the tournament rules will be announced at the mandatory team captain’s briefing. If there is any disagreement, controversy or necessary clarification of any tournament rule or result, the final irrevocable decision will be made by the Tournament Rules Committee. The violation of any Tournament rule may result in the disqualification of both the angler and the team unless otherwise noted. All competitors’ protests, if any, must be submitted in writing by a team captain on the same day that the situation generating the protest occurred. Any protests on the last day of fishing must be received by 5:30 PM. Protest regarding weight of a fish must be made before the fish is removed from the scales. The protesting team must submit a $500 cash deposit with their written protest. Deposits will not be returned for protest subsequently determined to be without merit or substance. It is expressly understood that these protest rules relate to team protests and do not limit the time the Tournament has to enforce tournament rules and regulations. Any misrepresentation on the team’s signed entry form, signed release affidavit or signed weighmaster certificate discovered at a later date by the Tournament will be cause for disqualification, forfeiture and the return of any prize money and merchandise won in the tournament. The Tournament reserves the right to pursue such misrepresentations without regard to any time limit that all Tournament team’s protest is bound by. Camera Policy Each team is required to provide their own video camera to be used to document catches and releases during this year’s tournament. The tournament strongly advises teams to bring a back-up camera as well. The Tournament will have equipment available on site to play back a team’s videotapes. Each team is required to have available at least three videocassettes for use during the event. Each team will be provided with an official tournament disposable camera to be used to photograph and document team catches and releases as a back up and supplement to their video camera. A set of sealed instructions will be issued to each team. All teams must follow the instructions included in their package in order for their catches and releases to qualify. It is the team captain’s responsibility to make sure his team’s camera and videocassettes are returned to the appropriate tournament official. Polygraph Policy At the sole discretion of the Zane Grey Invitational Marlin Tournament, all team captains, team members and observers may be required to take a polygraph test administered by the Tournament’s independent polygraph contractor. All team captains, and their team members, agree to be bound by this provision and to abide by the results thereof. Boat Inspections All tournament boats are subject to inspection at any time by tournament officials.