ABOUT US
The Early Days
The Belize Game Fish Association (BGFA) was formed in 1983 when the members of the Belize Yacht Club transformed what was primarily a fishing association into the Belize Fishing Association, later renamed the Belize Game Fish Association. At the time, the membership consisted of a few avid offshore fishermen who decided to pool their resources to organize and host annual fishing tournaments, with target species including Blue and White Marlin, Sailfish, Wahoo, Dolphin (Dorado), Tuna and Kingfish. Those first tournaments were humble affairs, often taking place on a beach or in a bar, with prizes consisting of donated drink coolers, $50 worth of gas and the odd roundtrip ticket on TACA to Miami. But at the end of the day, the main focus of the association was good clean competition, sportsmanship and comradery, all of which have been passed down through the generations of competitors and members who make up today’s BGFA.
The First Tournament
As the years rolled on, the BGFA managed to grow its tournaments and its membership. The first tournament was held in April 1983 out of Caye Chapel, and was won by John & Ann Crump in his boat ‘Oodat’ who boated a 53lb Sailfish. Two of the classic tournaments of yesteryear were the Belikin Spectacular hosted out of various venues such as St George’s Caye, Blackbird Caye, South Water Caye and San Pedro, as well as the Esso International Billfish Tournament hosted out of the Radisson Fort George Hotel & Marina in Belize City. The first ever Belikin Spectacular Tournament, hosted out of Cottage Colony at St. George’s Caye, still holds the record for number of Blue Marlin caught. Over the course of the two-and-a-half-day tournament, the twenty-three competing boats managed to hook 63 Blue Marlin landing 22, as well as 6 Yellowfin Tuna that were just shy of the 100-pound mark, a fete that no other tournament has come close to since. As well, the two largest Marlin on record in Belize were caught during the February International Billfish Tournament. The heaviest weighing in a 492lbs caught aboard Carib Lady by Tommy Bowman, and the second heaviest weighing in at 412lbs caught aboard Lara by Mark Lizarraga.
BGFA EXECUTIVE BOARD
Throughout the years, there have been a host of dedicated fishing enthusiasts who have given much of themselves to ensure the success of the BGFA. In the early years and into the 90’s, that host of volunteers included Richard Pollack, Roger Dinger, Wayne Mcnab, Beth Lecroix and John Crump, all influential figures in establishing the sport in Belize. John Crump, CBE later took over as President from Richard Pollack and stewarded the association through the end of the 90’s when the Presidency was taken over by Dr. Adrian Heusner and his team of Peter Codd, Samir Chebat and Roanne Badillo. During this period from the early 90’s to early 2000’s, Romi Badillo served as the association’s Weighmaster and was a stalwart of every BGFA tournament.
In the mid 2000’s the Presidency was passed on to Michael Meighan who, along with Trevor Roe and Sandy Macpherson, managed to see the association through the difficult financial period between 2008 and 2010. In 2012, Andrew Roe was voted in as President and was supported by Michael Meighan and Dufy Nunez. During Andrew’s term as President, the Board of Directors was expanded from 4 members to 7, with Giovanni (Jovy) Duran, Stuart Doley, Molly Doley, Madelyn Bowen and Jason Valdes later joining the board. The BGFA’s first female President Madelyn Bowen was elected in 2021, with Louise Roe and Amir Flores joining as well.
In 2023, new members Nathan Duncker and Zacch Reich joined the BGFA board as VP of Conservation and VP of Tournaments, respectfully. However, the 2024 membership year proposed a new executive structure: electing Jacinta Gomez as Conservation Director, Morgan Miles as Public Relations Officer, and Sydney Griffith as Administrator, while Nathan Duncker accepted the role of Tournament Director under Madelyn’s Presidency.
ADOPTING CONSERVATION
During the 2010’s, the BGFA took on much more of a conservation focus than it had in prior years.
The BGFA Today
The BGFA has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a loosely organized association of gentlemen sportfishermen. Today the association is a registered Non-Profit Corporation with around 100 conservation minded members. The association is looked at as a leader in best practices when it comes to sportfishing, working with both the conservation community and government to ensure the stability of our marine resources. The association also maintains its original purpose to organize fishing tournaments, giving away over $100,000 in prizes in 2019, prior to onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
