Fishing competition to become a global event in The Gambia

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Written by Linda Hohnholz

Cognizant of one of its most valuable resources of “The River Gambia” and its abundance of fish, The Gambia Tourism Board (GTB) in collaboration with stakeholders in the tourism sector recently or

Cognizant of one of its most valuable resources of “The River Gambia” and its abundance of fish, The Gambia Tourism Board (GTB) in collaboration with stakeholders in the tourism sector recently organized a beach casting/fishing competition dubbed “Fish The Gambia (FTG).”

The Gambia Tourism Board this year partnered with the organizers of FTG, Mr. Bernard Westgarth and Mr. Tony Tabbal, of the competition which has been ongoing for the past two years. This initiative by The GTB is intended to turn the competition into an internationally-renowned event.

Mr. Westgarth, one of the organizers, during a press conference revealed that he was delighted to welcome some of the well-known anglers from around the world who have participated in the last two editions of the beach-casting competition. He was also grateful for The GTB’s partnership and part sponsorship of the event.

Mr. Tabbal, the co-organizer, also thanked the Gambia Tourism Board for its partnership and for partly sponsoring the event.

Addressing the press conference, the Director General (DG) of The GTB, Mr. Benjamin A. Roberts, applauded the anglers for choosing “the Smiling Coast of Africa” as their fishing destination of choice. He thanked the two organizers and seized the opportunity to reveal that The GTB is currently preparing to stage an international “Sea and River Creek Fishing Competition” in October, 2014 with partners from Poland. The DG highlighted that this event has the support of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, The Ministry and Department of Fisheries, The Gambia Navy, The Gambia Maritime Administration Agency, and the Denton Bridge Fishermen Association.

The competition started on Thursday, March 27, and ended on March 31, during which impressive catches were registered by the various participants. In total, 404 catches of different fish species were registered with 202 releases.

The overall winner was Mr. Richard Yates from the UK for overall points who received a cash prize of £600 and a trophy. The runner-up was Mr. Tony Tabbal of The Gambia with the heaviest catch who also received a cash prize of £600 and a trophy. Others were also awarded cash prizes ranging from £500 to £100 and in total amounting to £5000.

For fishing enthusiasts, the next fishing competition will be held in October, 2014.

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About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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