FREEDIVING AND CRAYFISH COMPETITION RULES AND PRIZES:  

Prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd places

FISH SPECIES/POINTS TABLE AND POINTS VALUE 

Senior Spear Fishing Points

Species	Points/Kg	Species	Points/Kg
Albacore	360	Kingfish	48
Barracouta	245	Pink Mao Mao	775
Blue Moki	66	Porae	75.6
Bonito	336	Snapper	180
Butterfish	240	Tarakihi	875
Golden Snapper	1000	Trevally	200
John Dory	562.5	Yellowfin Tuna	180
Kahawai	200

Junior Spear Fishing Points

Species	Points/Kg	Species	Points/Kg
Blue Moki	66	Pink Mao Mao	775
Butterfish	240	Porae	75.6
Golden Snapper	1000	Snapper	180
John Dory	562.5	Tarakihi	875
Kahawai	200	Trevally	200

2010-2011COMPETITION RULES:

 Here is a reminder of the rules and points for the 2009-10 club competitions. This ends on 31 March 2010. Please read and make sure you understand them.  The points for each particular species reflects the degree of difficulty required for a spear fisherman to locate, shoot, subdue and return the fish to the boat.  It also takes into account the size these particular fish grow to in our area.  

RULES FOR CRAYFISH AND FREEDIVING COMPETITION.

The words “spear-fishing” are defined as capturing, or attempting to capture, with a muscle powered spear-gun, while free swimming, wild edible fish species.
Competition runs over 12-month period: 01 April-31 March.
All catches must comply with MAFish size and bag limits.
All entrants must be financial members prior to catching any fish or crayfish.
Most Meritorious’ will be a fish that has been weighed and reported to the Catch Recorder.
It will be awarded by the Committee and may not necessarily be a fish on the points list.
Heaviest Cray Overall’ and ‘Most Meritorious’ are awarded Trophies only.
Senior Men’s’ and ‘Ladies Champ’ will be awarded on the clubs points system.
Points system will be used to separate equal numbers of fish in most species.
PRIZES: These will be awarded to 1st, 2nd & 3rd places.

Open Grade Fish List:
Species

John Dory	Golden Snapper	Kahawai
Kingfish	Tarakihi	Koheru
Snapper	Pink Maomao	Porae
Trevally	Butterfish	Blue Moki

Game-fish.

The fish recorder will consider applications under the ‘Game-fish’ Category.
Included will be: Yellow fin tuna, Albacore and Bonito, Wahoo, Spanish mackerel, Amber-jack and other similar species including rainbow runner, Giant Trevally, Mahi-mahi, and other such visitors.
Sharks, rays, sunfish or moon-fish, epinephelus grouper, and cetaceans are not game-fish.
Bill-fish and blue fin tuna are also excluded from the competition species list.

Weighing in fish:

Entries must be weighed on certified or calibrated scales and witnessed by another financial club member.
Fish/Crayfish must be weighed to a minimum of 2 decimal points. i.e. 20g. Digital scales are preferred.
The scales must be presented to the catch recorder for calibration if requested.
It is the entrant’s responsibility to have the catch reported to Club Catch Recorder within 2 weeks of capture.
Each contestant may weigh as many fish/crayfish during the year as they wish but only the heaviest of each species will count.
The fish recorder must be advised of the species, weight & method of weighing, location of the catch, date, and witness to the catch.
Weighing fish on a boat at sea: Weighing at sea shall be allowed, provided that the scale is certified and that the weight is monitored for a minimum of one minute.
The lowest weight recorded is the official weight. The one minute period must be continuous.
To count, your fish must be:
Free swimming and uninjured prior to being injured or taken by you In NZ waters.
Taken in full compliance with MAFish rules.
The minimum size is 500 grams for all fish, and the fish must be above or equal to the minimum legal size.
Fish must be speared or captured by you between sunrise and sunset. If a fish is speared within these hours it can be played and subdued after sunset.
Fish to be caught either by hand or with a traditional spear-fishing weapon such as a spear or spear-gun.
Taken whilst snorkelling or free-diving i.e. on breath hold where the breath is taken from the surface.

Disputes:

The fish recorder reserves the right to veto or penalise any entrant as appropriate and judge unsporting behaviour.
The fish recorder decision is subject to a right of appeal to a vote at the following club meeting.
NZUA spear-fishing may be asked to rule on disputes at their discretion.

Gear:

Muscle-powered spear-gun:
Any spear-gun that stores potential energy provided from the spear-fisher's muscles only.
The gun may only release that amount of energy that the diver has provided to it from his/her own muscles.
Common temporary energy storing sources for spear-guns are: rubber, spring, and compressed air.
Guns should be unloaded and no energy stored prior to entering the water.
Prohibited:
Power-heads are prohibited. They may be carried by the diver for defence, but they may not be used to spear their catch.
Any device which physically traps fish is prohibited.
Spear-gun like devices which are not hand-powered or which are judged unsporting by the fish recorder are prohibited.
No SCUBA or artificial breathing apparatus is allowed (for hunting or retrieval of the fish).

Terminal gear:

Trail line or reels are allowed.
Divers may tow as many floats as they wish.
The diver must not fight the fish from within or on top of the float such as a small boat, kayak or board.

Use of safety boat:

Divers must pull their fish up unassisted. A buddy diver or crew member may pass unloaded guns to the diver.

Subdued Fish:

Any fish that is taken ashore, placed on a boat, or tethered to a line no more than 3 meters long.
Any fish that has a line or tether threaded through it mouth and gills.

Tether:

A length of rope or wire, not more than 3 meters long, attached securely to a boat or float, or on the belt stringer of the spearing diver, which is used to successfully and permanently subdue a fish by looping around the tail or by looping the through the mouth and gill opening of the fish by the spearing diver.
Divers must remain in the water and unassisted until their fish is subdued.
Divers must retain contact with their float and/or line at all times.
If they lose contact with their gear, they must find it and re-establish contact with it unassisted and while remaining in the water.
While potentially dangerous, the use of chum or burley or flashers is allowed provided, however, that with the use of chum, divers make and distribute it themselves in the water unassisted (fish used for this purpose must be shot by the diver using it), or in the case of flashers, they carry it themselves unassisted.
Fish must be free-swimming, not restricted by nets, traps, fishing lines or other devices.
Fish known or believed to be recently tagged and released or escaped fish, still exhausted from their recent capture, are ineligible.
Fish must not be in an artificial environment such as penned-in bays, or in close proximity to fish nets, fish rearing pens or sanctuaries.
The catch must not be at variance with any laws or regulations governing the species or the waters in which the fish was caught.
A buddy diver may provide a second or additional unloaded gun to the spear fisher, provided he/she does not assist the diver in any way to subdue their catch.
In most cases mutilated fish, depending on the circumstances, are not allowed.

Rookie Competition.

For club members who are new, we have a 'Rookie Grade'.
The aim of this grade is to teach you how to hunt all the different fish species that are good eating.
When you have completed your time in the Rookie Grade you will have attained all the basic skills required for competitive and recreational spear-fishing.
New members will automatically be in the Rookie Grade unless the fish recorder decides they should fairly be in the Open Grade.
New members may elect to also compete in the Open Grade as well as the Rookie Grade.

The fish list is:

John Dory	Kahawai	Blue Moki
Kingfish	Koheru	Porae
Snapper	Pink Maomao
Trevally	Butterfish

There is no limit to the number of different species weighed in on one day.
However, only two of each species may be weighed in on any one day.
You can record up to 5 of each species for the year, for the purposes of earning Rookie points. i.e. the heaviest 5 fish of each species will earn points.
The minimum size is 500 grams for all fish, and the fish must be equal to or above the minimum legal size.
The largest kingfish and snapper weighed by a rookie will be awarded prizes.
Depending on how close the competition develops, more prizes (like a Rookie’s snapper cup) may also be introduced.
Members who have taken at least five of the above list in one competition year will have completed their time as Rookies and must then compete in the Open Category the following year.
The Champion Rookie diver will be the one with the highest Rookie score.
In the event of a tie, the winner will be the diver with the highest points from snapper and kingfish, calculated in accordance with the Open Grade points system.
The Rookie who is fastest to complete the fish list will also be recognised with a prize.
MMUC spear-fishing rules apply to this competition where ‘Rookie Rules” do not contradict them.

Photography Competition

• Mt Photographics Cup Underwater Photography

• Harold Davis Trophy Topside photo

• Unspoilt New Zealand

• Club/Group Photo

• Warwick Fensom Trophy ‘Dive Sport’

Rules for Photography Competition
5 categories:
Underwater
Topside
Unspoiled New Zealand
Club Group
Dive Sport

• Competition runs over 12-month period from AGM to AGM

• Underwater can be taken anywhere in the world

• Topside can be taken anywhere in the world on any subject.

• Unspoiled New Zealand: man-made objects may feature in the photo but must not be the main subject.

• Club Group is a photo of 2 or more club members. Can be taken anywhere in the world.

• Dive Sport is a photo taken above or below water of scuba diving/freediving activities. Eg trophy fish. Can be taken anywhere in the world.

• Contestants must compose the photograph and trigger the camera or set any automatic process themselves

• All photos to be prints only. No slides.

• Prints to be unframed and no larger than 5x7 inches.

• No imaging to be added or removed from photos.

• Contestants may enter a maximum of three photos per category. Only one in each category will count towards trophies and prizes.

• Amateur photographers only.

• Judging of each category will be by members present at A.G.M. by secret ballot.

Conchology: 

Shells to be recovered from New Zealand Ocean or beaches in the 12 months prior to the AGM. 
Trophy and prize for winner only.

Newsletter: 

Recipient of trophy and prize at Editor’s discretion.