The Presidential Challenge Tournament Series has officially reached the midway point for the 2011 season, as we continue our motto of "Fishing for Conservation."

The Presidential Papagayo Cup, presented by the I.C.T. and hosted by Marina Papagayo, recently concluded just a few short weeks ago--the Sea Angel team continues their hot streak in PCCA events by not only winning first place but also topping the standings in the Presidential Papagayo Cup Perpetual Trophy, awarded to the team with the highest point total between the PCCA Costa Rica and Papagayo Cup events. The Zara, a team based out of Marina Papagayo, used their local knowledge well, earning a hard-fought second place, while the Dragin Fly took home third for the tournament.

And while the Sea Angel takes a substantial lead for the overall Presidential Challenge Grand Champion Team trophy, there are still two events left on the schedule, and anything can happen in competitive fishing.



Just a quick reminder to the international teams: the Presidential Challenge series is open to any team wishing to participate in any event. Fish just one tournament or make plans to fish the entire series, the choice is yours!

Next up on the schedule is the Aruba Caribbean Cup, October 20-23, 2011. Aruba has proven to be an outstanding fishing destination, with plenty of blue and white marlin swimming around the island in addition to lots of sailfish. As with all PCCA events, the Caribbean Cup features great parties after fishing in addition to the ultra-fun kickoff and elegant gala awards functions. And it's all included in the low entry fee.

There are some excellent charter boats still available for any team that would like to charter instead of bringing their own boat, so contact the tournament staff for more information.

The final event of the PCCA Series is the Presidential Challenge of Guatemala, presented by INGUAT and hosted by Casa Vieja Lodge. This event wraps up the series in one of the world's finest fishing locations, and at one of the world's finest fishing lodges. Last year, Presidential anglers released a record number of sailfish, over 600 for the three-day tournament, so we're hoping the fishing's just as good this season.

The Lodge's boats and rooms book quickly so interested teams should contact the PCCA staff as soon as possible to reserve your favorite.




Conservation Update: Good News out of Costa Rica
The Billfish Foundation recently entered into an agreement with its conservation partner, the Costa Rica Sport Fishing Federation (FECOPT) and four participating Hilton Worldwide hotels in Costa Rica, pledging to stop serving all sailfish and marlin. Based on a socio-economic study released last year by TBF showing the huge economic value of sportfishing tourism to Costa Rica, the participating hotels adopted the ban on billfish from their restaurants in part to promote responsible and sustainable tourism in the nation.



The four properties include the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Costa Rica in Puntarenas, the DoubleTree Cariari by Hilton San Jose, the Hilton Papagayo Costa Rica Resort and Spa, and the Hilton Garden Inn Liberia Airport. The bold conservation move with the hotels and resorts came after two months of discussions with FECOPT Executive Director Enrique Ramirez.



"TBF is proud of the efforts by Enrique Ramirez who secured the participation of the four participating Hilton Worldwide properties in Costa Rica and explained the conservation and business benefits of the world's sportfishing tourists, reaffirming Costa Rica's stature as one of the world's premier fishing destinations," noted TBF Chief Scientist Dr. Russell Nelson.



"We specially appreciate the foresight of the general managers at the participating Hilton Worldwide hotels in Costa Rica - Ricardo Rodriguez Gil, Laura Castagnini and Rui Dominguez - that supporting sportfishing conservation efforts are good for the oceans and good for business as well."



TBF President Ellen Peel applauded the agreement as a new standard for voluntary conservation action in the private sector adding, "we're very pleased to see tourism businesses and government tourism officials responding so positively to the facts and information presented by our socio-economic research conducted with the University of Costa Rica that clearly supports TBF's message that good conservation can be good economics."