IGFA World Record Book
Since the first annual IGFA World Record Game Fishes book appeared in 1971, the publication has had a legacy as one of the most reliable and complete sources of international fishing records and related reference materials. The 2013 edition has just been released this January and continues the tradition of inspiring awe, appreciation, and an ethical approach to sportfishing with the selection of Marc Montocchio’s marlin photograph for the cover. Montocchio specializes in capturing images and video of unhooked, free-swimming game fish. His focus on the health and conservation of some of the ocean’s most majestic species speaks to the IGFA’s mission and goals in 2013.
The 2013 IGFA World Record Game Fishes opens with a reflection on and celebration of one of the most momentous achievements in IGFA history: the passage of the Billfish Conservation Act into United States law. IGFA Conservation Director Jason Schratwieser then follows this conservation discussion with an article entitled Make Your World Record Count, about improving record-seeking techniques with examples of disqualifying violations that have been submitted.
Then the topic turns to catching five of Alaska’s salmon species in one day, exclusively on fly tackle, in The Hoodoo River Salmon Slam. Author and renowned photographer Pat Ford takes a journey to the southwest Alaska Peninsula and shares valuable techniques, scenic landscapes, and spectacular salmon fishing along the way. The theme of world-class photography continues in Is Technology Changing Fishing’s “Hero Shot” for the Better?, as cover artist Marc Montocchio outlines the practices and ethics of taking impressive photographs of a catch, and the ways underwater cameras are changing these images for the better.
IGFA Historian and Trustee Michael L. Farrior focuses on where the sport started in The Origins of Big Game Fishing, tracing 200 years of rich tackle innovations. Continuing in the vein of evolution, Billfish Crittercam by Sam Friederichs delves into one of the ways billfish research has entered a new era. As he describes an underwater camera he and the National Geographic magazine team have designed and deployed on billfish, Friederichs shares what scientists and anglers are learning from footage shot from a billfish’s perspective.
Finally, the articles of the 2013 Record Book close in a spirit of exploration. In Anglers Pursuing a Grand Adventure, Robert Cunningham, IGFA President Rob Kramer, and Dennis Triana share how they have pushed themselves on amazing quests that offer not only incredible fishing, but also opportunities to learn, experience, and feel truly alive.
This edition of the IGFA’s signature publication will also feature additional online content, including videos from Montocchio and Friederichs. And as always, the most coveted features of the book – the world records and species identifications – will appear fully updated, newly organized, and illustrated in full color.
The only way to acquire the 2013 IGFA World Record Game Fishes book is to become a member of the IGFA. Joining online is easy at http://membership.igfa.org, or you may call 954-924-4226 to join today.
_–– Source: Kelsey Johnson _
