Fishing World Records
Fishing has been a long-standing recreational activity. The art of Fishing has evolved into the now prevalent big game Fishing, catching world record-sized fish that have become a source of pride of anglers and localities alike.
World Fishing Records set by anglers from all over the world will not be recognized if it were not for the efforts of Michael Lerner and his wife, Helen. Michael Lerner is the founder of the International Game Fish Association (IGFA), the group responsible for archiving 8,000 world fishing records since 1910. A department store tycoon, Lerner was an avid recreational angler who spearheaded the formation of an international record-keeping body for Fishing while in a Fishing expedition in Australia and New Zealand. The need for a single record-keeping body arose when he observed that most records were kept by various organizations and clubs on a regional or national level, and he realized that a central record-keeping organization must be created to unify all records and to come up with uniform set of rules and guidelines for record Angling. With Dr. William King Gregory as President, the renowned Ernest Hemmingway as first vice president and Francesca LaMont as secretary, Lerner formed the International Game Fish Association. The association was formally inaugurated on June 7, 1939, at the American Museum of National History, after obtaining the entire consensus of world outstanding anglers that the Angling rules are to be set by the Americans. At first, only Saltwater Fishing records were maintained by the IGFA. It was only until 1978 when both saltwater and freshwater Fishing records were combined and kept by the organization.
With Fishing Records dating back since 1910, the IGFA has been a reputable organization, providing complete and informative artifacts and references on fish and recreational Fishing. IGFA stores all world records according to line class, tippet class and all-tackle categories for both freshwater and saltwater game fishes. Aside from this, international rules on equipment and Angling regulations, weighing and witness requirements have all been set by the IGFA.
Today, with 35,000 members from 120 countries around the world, IGFA has been influential in promoting involvement in issues such as overfishing, game fish depletion and marine conservation. Programs have been set by the organization to educate people on the importance of Fishing and the value of marine conservation. IGFA has been genuinely concerned on this issue, and has taken steps to encourage and persuade anglers to practice the catch and return policy to promote game fish conservation. Game fish competitions around the world are slowly applying the policy as members of the IFGA have seriously endorsed this principle to international fishery management boards and advisory bodies.
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