The Sailfish Tournament, the first tournament of the 2008 South Florida Billfish Tournament Series, kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, January 10th from the Texas de Brazil restaurant at the Miami Beach Marina. Boats will fish Saturday and Sunday with the awards banquet Sunday evening. Top contenders in the World Billfish Series will compete in this IGFA-sanctioned event for an 88 percent cash payout of entry fees and added divisions.

Tournament sponsors have joined with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) to bill the event as the first ever carbon-neutral fishing tournament. Tournament directors say the decision came at the behest of generous support from a broad array of sponsors that believe anglers can play a vital role in effectively reducing our CO² footprint on the global dilemma we face today.

“It’s an unprecedented initiative,” said Tournament Director Dan Kipness. “Marina owners and dockside fuel providers are using Native Energy's ‘carbon credit’ program, to reduce their ‘carbon footprint.’ What this effectively achieves is a trading of carbon use (greenhouse gases that exacerbate global warming) from producers like sportfishing vessels to producers of clean renewable energy like wind and solar power providers.”

Global warming threatens Florida fisheries in a number of ways, including ocean acidification, sea-level rise and inundation of habitats, and coral bleaching. For more information, visit www.targetglobalwarming.org. For more information on the tournament, contact Capt. Dan Kipnis at (305) 672-3807 or Capt. Bric Peeples at (305) 282-1006.