Oscar Daccarett, Baja Sur State Commissioner of Sport Fishing and noted local philanthropist, is the driving force behind the tournament. Seeing what he believes to be a major threat to the future of sport fishing in Baja, Daccarett began the Governors Cup series to focus attention on the negative effects of over-harvesting by commercial fishing operations. Study after study has shown how the waters off of Baja cannot continue to sustain sport fish species like marlin, sailfish, dorado and tuna if nothing is done to stem the increased commercial fishing pressure brought upon the area by ill-conceived and implemented fisheries management policies. One such policy, known as NOM 029, has rallied support amongst sport anglers and conservationists alike. The newly passed legislation allows for long-line commercial fishing operations to come within 10-15 miles of the pristine coastlines of the Baja. The end result will be a dramatic and potentially irreversible depletion of sport fish stocks, as well as the destruction of critical habitats that many marine species rely on for sustenance and safe haven. In addition, the regulation does little to define bycatch, the term used for those species taken by but not specifically targeted by the long liners, nor does it render the sale of that bycatch illegal. In other words, longliners that claim to be fishing for shark will most likely catch far more billfish and dorado than shark and will be able to profit from that “non-targeted”
Daccarett, along with many government officials, tourism bureaus, scientists and professional sport anglers, aims to publicly demonstrate the high level of interest in sport fishing the waters of Baja by locals and international traveling anglers. The Governors Cup series has put on over twenty smaller tournaments up and down the coast of Baja Sur in the last year. Many of the small towns and villages where tournament events were held had never experienced the thrill and excitement generated by competitive sport angling. Those that had the chance to experience it firsthand have become devoted to the cause with many commercial “pangeros”
The success of the NO ENTRY FEE tournament series led to the creation of the International Governors Cup Tournament Championship (IGCT). It is the mission of Daccarett and the other organizers of the IGCT to shine a light onto the under-developed and under-utilized sport fishing locations in Baja and encourage investment from both Mexican Nationals and foreigners alike in the development of these locations. By bringing sport anglers and sponsors to Cabo San Lucas where they can learn more about the entire Baja Sur region, they hope to lure significant investment in the building of the infrastructure, hotels and marinas needed to turn small, unknown fishing villages into world-class, conservation-
To learn more about the International Governors Cup Tournament Championship, visit http://www.cabotournament.com.
