2022 Multi-Species Madness
Alberta Event
August 12 - 21 2022
Rules updated August 8, 2022

Multi-Species Madness is a tournament based on the number of species entered instead of the length of fish or how many fish are caught. Anglers receive one point for every species properly measured, regardless of size. Anglers compete to see who can enter the most points in a 10-day time period and the top ten anglers are paid out. Fish are measured for the tournament even though length does not matter because the species and length data collected by tournament anglers is used to conduct fisheries research in Canada. 

1. Getting Started

A. The Multi-Species Madness fishing tournament is an online tournament run through Angler’s Atlas website and their mobile app MyCatch.

B. Anyone can participate in the Multi-Species Madness and it is for all ages. Registration is currently only able to support individual registration. For those without a personal cell phone (such as children) the participant will need to submit their entries using their own unique account and login credentials - it will be necessary for people sharing a cell phone to use the switch account feature.

C. There is a $50.00 plus tax registration fee to enter the tournament. 

D. Catches must be submitted through the MyCatch app for judging anytime during the tournament period.

E. In order for catches to be sent properly, you must use the same login email and password for both the Angler’s Atlas website and the MyCatch app.

F. All contestants must register for the tournament via this URL:

https://www.anglersatlas.com/tournament/

G. You will receive an automatic email confirming that you have entered the tournament and that your payment has gone through.

H. Once accepted into the tournament, download the free MyCatch mobile app which is available for both iOS (Apple App Store) and Android (Google Play Store) and login to activate the tournament on the app using the same login email and password that you used to register in the tournament. (https://www.anglersatlas.com/mycatch). 

I. By participating in this event your name may be publicly visible.

Protecting anglers’ privacy is a priority, and any location data collected during the tournament will not be released to the public. Our promise to anglers is “Secret Fishing Spots Stay Secret”. See below for further details.

2. Catch Reporting Rules

A. This event is catch and release only. All species except protected fish (Bull Trout, Grayling and Lake Sturgeon - these are not allowed to be entered!) and small-bodied minnows (Leuciscidae family) are eligible for the event following provincial angling regulations.

B. In order for each catch to qualify, a photograph of the fish on a measuring device must be taken using the MyCatch app (ie. photos cannot be uploaded from a photo gallery or other source). 

C. All contestants must have GPS/location services enabled on your cell phone for their catches to qualify. Your location data will be protected. For more information, see details below.

D. All fish entries need to be submitted using a commercially available ‘bump board’ that clearly shows the length of the fish. NO tape measures will be accepted. The nose of the fish must be aligned with the start of the measuring board and be clearly touching the ‘bump’, with both the nose and the tail clearly visible in the photograph. The photo must be taken from a birds-eye view looking down on the fish. 

E. Fish must be placed on top of the measuring board with the RIGHT SIDE DOWN and the left side facing upwards. Catfish species may be measured on their right side OR on their belly.

F. The length measurement is taken at the longest tip of the tail, NOT the fork length. If a fish is shorter than the start of the measurement markings on the measurement board, an approximation will be entered.

G. While the fish is being held on the ruler, a “scoring” photo must be taken of the fish which clearly shows the overall length of the fish. The HEAD and TAIL of the fish as well as the start of the bump board and past the end of the tail must be included and shown clearly. A photo that does not clearly show the overall length of the fish, including head and tail, on the ruler WILL NOT BE SCORED. More than one attempt to get a valid scoring photo is allowed. The app will prompt you to either accept the photo or retake a photo

H. The mouth is allowed to be open, closed, or anywhere in between, so long as the fish meets the other above requirements.

I. All catches will be approved to the last physical line on a measuring device. If it extends past a mark but there are no physical lines to confirm the true length, the last mark it crosses will be used.

J.There are to be no fingers placed in the gills or mouth of the fish within the measurement photo. Any fingers in the gills or mouth of the fish within the measurement photo will disqualify that fish. 

K. A second photo prompt will come up, often called the Hero Shot - consisting of the angler holding the fish within the same photo; is to be used as a hero shot and is OPTIONAL for this event.

L. ‘Proof of life’ for every fish entered is also required, hence all anglers must also submit a “Release Video” using the release feature on the app that clearly shows the fish swimming away. This rule does not apply to any invasive species that are illegal to release (ex. Goldfish, Prussian Carp) 

M. The app works out of cell range, and catches will synchronize with the server once the user opens the app when back in cell range, or via a wifi signal. Photos are date, time, and location stamped to the moment that they are taken. If the catches are not synced before the tournament deadline, they will not qualify for prizes.

N. Catches that are submitted will be reviewed for approval within 24 hours or in extreme cases, this may take a little longer. DO NOT EXPECT to see entries show up immediately after you log them. Once the submissions are reviewed, they will be immediately visible on the appropriate Leaderboards.

O. Tournament organizers reserve the right to adjust and reject entries.

P. A great resource is the MyCatch “how to video” that shows how to complete an entry: https://youtu.be/OqwbAFFQE-w

3. Tournament Location and Times

A. Tournament boundaries are within the limits of the Province of Alberta. 

B. The tournament runs from August 12, 2022 at 5:00:00 am through to August 21, 2022 at 5:00:00 pm (MST).

C. All catches made within the start and end times must be synchronized with the Angler’s Atlas server within the event times to qualify.

D. At the discretion of the tournament director, tournament days may be shortened, postponed or canceled due to unsafe weather or water conditions.

4. Awards &  Prizes

A. Proceeds from the tournament will be distributed as prizes in accordance with the prizing categories below. Prize amounts are based on a full field of 100 anglers. If the tournament doesn’t fill, the payout percentages for each paid position will remain the same and will be adjusted accordingly. 

Most Species

1. $2000 

2. $1000 

3. $400 

4. $160 

5. $130 

6. $80

7. $70 

8. $60

9. $50 

10.  $50 

B. Prize amounts are based on a full field of 100 anglers.
C. If the number of entrants is: 

• Below 33% of target, payouts will only go to top 3 (ie out of expected 100, only 32 or under sign up, pay to top 3 placings. (50-30-20% of prize funds)

• Between 33% and 67% of target, payouts will only go to top 5 (ie out of expected 100, only 33 to 67 sign up, pay to top 5 placings. (45-25-15-10-5% of prize funds)

• Above 67% of target but below 100 anglers, payouts will go to top 10 but be adjusted proportionally.

• If 100 or more anglers enter, payouts will go to the top 10 and be adjusted proportionally. 

D. Sponsor prizing may replace cash in some paid positions from 2nd to 10th, which will be announced prior to the event start date.

E. A participant can only win one prize placement on a leaderboard.

F. Awards will be announced on or by August 26, 2022 and anglers will be contacted directly using the contact information provided in the tournament registration process.

G.  In case of a tie, when 2 or more anglers have the same total species count, the winner will be the person who was able to reach that total number of species first.

H. Anglers have up to 60 days to claim their prize. Anglers that do not claim their prize within this period forfeit their prize.

5. Other Rules

A. By registering and participating in the tournament, all participants agree to abide by the rules and regulations they have received as set out in the Multi Species Madness Tournament event rules.

B. This tournament is catch and release ONLY. Harvesting fish will result in disqualification (Exception: any invasives that are illegal to release). The goal is to achieve the lowest possible mortality rate.

C. You should use barbless hooks.

D. All anglers should fish in water shallower than 9 meters (ie. 29.5 ft). This rule is in place to prevent barotrauma to any fish and potential damage to the resource.

E. Anglers can only submit catches that they have caught themselves. This is an individual tournament, so you cannot enter as a partnership or team, and under no circumstances can you enter fish caught by any other angler. Anglers are free to fish alone or with other tournament or non-tournament anglers, but each registered angler may only enter their own fish on their own app.

F. All fish entered for this event must be caught via angling i.e. using hook and line. At no time will fish caught by non-angling (i.e. use of traps, trap nets or cages) be allowed to be entered. The use of a landing net to land a hooked fish is allowed.

G. Each contestant must have in their possession a valid fishing license for their respective jurisdiction or be exempt under regulations of their jurisdiction.

F. Each contestant must conform to the fishing rules and regulations that are in place for the jurisdiction in which they are fishing.

H. Anglers can fish from shore and are also permitted to use any type of motorized or non-motorized watercraft for the tournament where it is legal to do so.

I. Promoters and organizers assisting in the tournament operation are not responsible for death, injury, damage, liability, theft, fire or any loss to any contestants.

J. Any angler found to be cheating will be disqualified from the tournament. Angler’s Atlas also reserves the right to ban anglers from competing in future events.

K. In the event of disqualification, any paid entry fees will be forfeited and not refunded.

L. All rules have loopholes. It is our intention to provide an honest sportsmanlike tournament. In the interest of good sportsmanship, contestants are reminded that the spirit of the rule will prevail in all judgments.

M. All questions or concerns relating to the rules of this tournament are to be referred to the Organizer or their designated Authorized Tournament Protest and Appeals Committee. Their decision will be final in all cases. No other person can be considered a spokesman for the rules during the tournament. The contact for this event is the Angler's Atlas Catch and can be reached by email at [email protected]

N. Any contestant has the right to make a protest against another contestant by contacting an Organizer or an Authorized Tournament Protest and Appeals Committee through email. All protests must be completed and presented within 1 hour of the close of the tournament. Their decision will be final in all cases. A $100.00 dollar protest fee may be needed to accompany any official protest. The fee will be returned if the protest is found to be valid.

O. An infraction witnessed by a competitor can be reported to the Organizer or the Authorized Tournament Protest and Appeal Committee. In the event that an infraction is reported or a protest is entered, the Organizer or the Committee, appointed prior to the tournament; may convene.

P. To ensure the best chances of survival for the fish, all participants are to handle fish safely. Blatant abuse to fish or the resource is reason for disqualification.

Q. All participants must follow boating safety regulations in your jurisdiction. NOTE: See section 7 below for particulars about boating in reservoirs in Southern Alberta.

R. All Covid-19 Public Health orders and gathering restrictions at the time of the event must be followed by all participants

S. All photo and video submissions may be used by MyCatch by Angler's Atlas for future use.

6. Data Privacy and Fisheries Research

“Secret Fishing Spots Stay Secret” — This is our primary commitment to anglers who report their catches through MyCatch. So what does this mean in practice?

A. Angler’s Atlas does not release MyCatch GPS data to the public. It is treated as confidential and is provided to fisheries researchers under strict conditions.

B. Every research team we work with must sign a data sharing agreement that sets the terms of use for the data.

C. Data is anonymized before it is provided to the researcher.

D. Researchers agree not to share the data with anyone else.

E. Researchers cannot use the data for any purpose other than the research specified in the agreement. 

F. Exact location data cannot be published as part of the scientific research. Instead, it has to be generalized to a larger region so the location cannot be reverse engineered. 

G. Angler’s Atlas may release data to a law enforcement agency if compelled to do so under court order.

These data privacy rules are designed to protect our angler’s private data, to conserve the fisheries, and to make sure we maintain a trusting relationship with our anglers into the future. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to reach out to Angler’s Atlas President directly by email ([email protected]).

7. Special conditions for fishing within Alberta

IMPORTANT!