Fishermen’s Conservation Association To Host 10th Annual Manhattan Cup in New York City
On Friday, May 16, 2008, the Fishermen’s Conservation Association (FCA) will celebrate its 10th Annual Manhattan Cup “catch and release" charity fishing tournament in New York City.
In anticipation of a record turnout, event organizers have re-formatted the tournament to include a new start time of 9 A.M. as well as a longer fishing day that will end at 4 P.M. when all participants will arrive back at Chelsea Piers. In another exciting first, all teams will participate in a live release of their largest fish after weighing them in at the dock.
Manhattan Cup co-chair Captain Frank Crescitelli said that this year’s tournament has reached a milestone in more than one way. “A fishing tournament in New York City where 30-40 pound Striped Bass will be released after being officially weighed in is groundbreaking. It is proof that popular, large-scale tournaments can be run without depleting the resource.”
The Manhattan Cup has become the largest one-day in-shore tournament in the Northeast. Approximately 40 professional fishing guides provide their boats and expertise to individual teams competing for the largest striped bass, bluefish and weakfish among three categories (fly, artificial and bait).
All boats will leave Chelsea Piers at 9:00 am and return at 4:00 pm for the annual FCA Manhattan Cup awards ceremony at the Chelsea Brewing Company, located at Pier 59 on the Hudson River. The awards ceremony will be highlighted by the presentation of the FCA Man of the Year Award.
Proceeds from the event will help the FCA in its efforts to protect local fisheries, ensure access to waterways and promote a sustainable habitat for important game species. In particular, the main focus for the group is seeking game fish status for striped bass in New York State. “It’s really do-or-die time for the striped bass,” Cresitelli said, “and we are confident that this will be the year that New York joins Connecticut and New Jersey in designating the striped bass as game fish.”
A portion of the event proceeds will also be allocated to “Hooked-For-A-Lifetime,” the FCA’s special program geared toward at-risk inner-city children. Hooked-For-A-Lifetime donates fishing rods and tackle boxes to children and, more importantly, provides them the opportunity to fish—and to learn and grow through that experience.
To enter the Manhattan Cup and book an available guide, please
contact the tournament co-directors:
David Fallon fcamanhattancup@yahoo.com or Capt. Frank Crescitelli
(718) 317-1481 Finfly@aol.com .
