2023 Atlantic Anglers Gulf Region Striped Bass Challenge

In association with the following:
Striped Bass Research Team, Acadia University and 
Miramichi River and Gulf Region Waters

Miramichi River and Gulf Waters 

May 1 - Septemeber 30 2023

Event Rules

1. Getting Started

1. The 2023 Atlantic Anglers Gulf Region Striped Bass Challenge is an online tournament run through Angler’s Atlas website and their mobile app MyCatch.
2. Anyone can participate in the 2023 Atlantic Anglers Gulf Region Striped Bass Challenge and it is for all ages. Registration is currently only able to support individual registration. For those participants sharing a mobile device, participants must login to their own account to submit their catches.
3. For this event, we encourage catch and release fishing but it is not mandatory. 
4. This event is free for all anglers to enter. 
5. Catches must be submitted through the MyCatch app for judging anytime during that period.
6. 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.
7. All contestants must register for the tournament via this URL: https://www.anglersatlas.com/event/709/2023-atlantic-anglers-challenge-gulf-stripers-2023
8. You will receive an automatic email confirming that you have entered the tournament. 
9. Student Ambassadors will be visiting various beaches during the tournament to demonstrate the MyCatch app.

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

11. 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 again using the same login email and password that you used to register in the tournament. (https://www.anglersatlas.com/mycatch)
12. 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

1. This event is for the following fish species only: 
• Striped Bass
2. All anglers must comply with all sport fishing regulations. Refer here for current regualtions: Fisheries and Oceans Canada | Gulf Region (dfo-mpo.gc.ca)
3. In order for each catch to qualify, a photograph of the fish on a measuring device must be taken using the MyCatch app (photos cannot be uploaded from a photo gallery or other source). Just before starting to angle each day, you should "start a new trip" and at the end of angling for the day, you should complete the days trip by filling out the number of hours fished. 
4. 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.
5. This is a total length measurement tournament. NOT fork length. See pic for reference. The total length of a fish is measured from the tip of the nose or jaw to the tip of the tail with the tail pinched. 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. If a fish is longer than the angler's bump board, the longest measurement on the board will be counted. The photo must be taken from a birds-eye view looking down on the fish.
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7. The nose of the fish must be at the start or zero mark on all measuring devices and the total length is taken where the longest length of the tail crosses the measurements on the measuring device.
8. All Fish should be measured with the right side down (the right side of the fish must be facing down or touching the board) and the left side of the fish facing upwards.
9. If you measure your fish entry on a commercially produced bumpboard, the measurement rules are as follows. The nose of the fish must be visibly touching the bump end of the board, the fish must be placed on top of the board and the entire fish showing the head and tail and past the tail must be visible in the measurement photo.
10. If you measure your fish entry on a homemade bumpboard, the measurement rules are the same as above BUT you must provide a photo to the organizer of the empty board to verify proof of measurement accuracy. Unverified boards will NOT be accepted. Send picture of empty board to: [email protected]
11. If you measure your fish using a tape measure, the measurement rules are as follows. The fish nose must be aligned with the zero mark on the tape with both being butted up against a solid edge, the fish cannot be on top of the tape measure or cover it in any way, and the entire fish showing the head and tail and past the tail must be visible in the measurement photo. Do not use soft / fabric tapes to measure fish. 
12. 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.
13. If an entry submission comes in where a measuring rule is not followed, such as the nose is not touching the bump or at the zero mark, the fish may still be approved but a 10% length penalty will be applied. The penalty will apply to the observable length of the fish at the discretion of the Organizer. The entry may also be rejected.
14. The mouth is allowed to be open, closed, or anywhere in between, so long as the fish meets the other above requirements. Fish will be approved only to the last physical mark crossed.
15. There are to be no fingers placed in the gills or mouth of the fish. Any fingers in the gills or mouth of the fish will disqualify that fish. This rule applies to the Measurement photo only (not the hero shot or release video)
16. During the entry process you will be prompted for a second photo, often called the Hero Shot, which is optional for this event.
17. You will also be prompted with a third option which is a video of your fish and this is to be used to document any fish entry that has a tag on it - please show the tag and the tag identification numbers and color in the the video.  
18. The app will work without WiFi or any or strong cell service. If you submit a fish without any or strong enough service, the app will tell you that the fish has been recorded, and that it will sync up to the server once you return to service. Every fish you log (whether in good service or not) will appear in your app’s Log View (2nd icon from the left at the bottom). If you have fish “awaiting sync,” it will indicate this here. The submissions will eventually come through on their own once you return to service, but you can help speed up the process by “manually syncing” those pending logs (see how here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU-AwLc8OLY once you’re in service. The logs are time/date/location stamped to the moment that they were taken, so even if the submission is delayed, the time on that submission will still be accurate.
19. Catches that are submitted will be reviewed for approval at least once per day but likely more often than that. Once the submissions are reviewed and approved, they appear immediately on the appropriate leaderboard(s). DO NOT EXPECT to see entries show up immediately after you log them.
20. A great resource is the MyCatch video that shows how to complete an entry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS65wMakQHA

3. Tournament Location and Times

1. Tournament boundaries are within the limits of Miramichi River and the Gulf region detailed ontehj map attached to this event. 
2. The event runs from:
   • Monday, May 1, 2023 starting at from 6:00 am through to 
   • Saturday, Sept 30, 2023 at 6:00 pm.
3. All catches made within the start and end times must be synchronized with the Angler’s Atlas server within the event times to qualify.
4. 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

1. Prizes for this event will be awarded per the following: (Prizes will be added asap)
   • Month of May - Overall Longest Striped Bass
   • Month of May - Hidden Length Striped Bass
   • Month of May - Random Draw Prize
   • Month of May - Tough Luck Draw Prize
   • Month of June - Overall Longest Striped Bass
   • Month of June - Hidden Length Striped Bass
   • Month of June - Random Draw Prize
   • Month of June - Tough Luck Draw Prize
   • Month of July - Overall Longest Striped Bass
   • Month of July - Hidden Length Striped Bass
   • Month of July - Random Draw Prize
   • Month of July - Tough Luck Draw Prize
   • Month of August - Overall Longest Striped Bass
   • Month of August - Hidden Length Striped Bass
   • Month of August - Random Draw Prize
   • Month of August - Tough Luck Draw Prize
   • Month of September - Overall Longest Striped Bass
   • Month of September - Hidden Length Striped Bass
   • Month of September - Random Draw Prize
   • Month of September - Tough Luck Draw Prize
   • More prizes will be added as they become available. Refer to the main site of this event for listings
2. A participant can only win one prize per month
3. Awards will be announced regularly through the event and will be posted to the sites prize list. Winners will be contacted directly using the contact information provided in the tournament registration process.
4. In the case of a tie for any prize category, the tie break will go to the person who entered the tied fish first. If a tie still exists, the winner will be the angler with the highest number of fish reported.
5. Tournament organizers reserve the right to adjust entries.
6. 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

1. 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 2023 Atlantic Anglers Gulf Region Striped Bass Challenge rules.
2. 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 share fish with 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.
3. All fish entered for this event must be caught via angling i.e. using hook, line, rod and reel. At no time will fish caught by non angling (i.e. use of traps, trap nets or cages) be allowed to be entered. Usage of a landing net to land a hooked fish is allowed.
4. Each contestant must have in their possession a valid fishing license for their respective jurisdiction or be exempt under regulations of their jurisdiction.
5. Each contestant must conform to the fishing rules and regulations (including posession and bag limits) that are in place for the jurisdiction in which they are fishing.
6. Promoters and organizers assisting in the tournament operation are not responsible for death, injury, damage, liability, theft, fire or any loss to any contestants.
7. Any angler’s found to be cheating (such as sharing of fish and measuring the same fish twice) will be disqualified from the tournament. Angler’s Atlas also reserves the right to ban anglers from competing in future events.
8. All rules have loopholes. It is our intention to provide an honest sportsmanlike tournament. In the interest of good sportsmanship, contestants are reminded the spirit of the rule will prevail in all judgments.
9. All questions or concerns relating to the rules of this tournament are to be referred to the Organizer. Their decision will be final in all cases. No other person can be considered a spokesman for the rules during the tournament. The contact person for this event is Dave or Tessa and they can be reached by email at [email protected]
10. Any contestant has the right to make a protest against another contestant by contacting the Organizer through email and must be completed and presented within 1 hour of the close of the tournament. Their decision will be final in all cases. A $50.00 dollar protest fee may need to accompany the protest. The fee will be returned if the protest is found to be valid.
11. 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
12. All participants must follow provincial safety standards for PFD and boating safety. 
13. All photo and video submissions may be used by MyCatch by Angler's Atlas and the event organizers 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?

• 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.
• Every research team we work with must sign a data sharing agreement that sets the terms of use for the data.
• Data is anonymized before it is provided to the researcher.
• Researchers agree not to share the data with anyone else.
• Researchers cannot use the data for any purpose other than the research specified in the agreement. 
• 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. 
• 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]).