Our 2023 AGM Recap
Incoming Board (L-R) with our Administrator, VP of Sponsorship & Marketing, President, Treasurer, new VP of Tournaments, and Weighmaster. The new VP of Conservation is not pictured.
Taking place on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, at 6 PM, we kicked off our 13th Annual General Meeting at the Old Belize Food Market, Belize City. A quorum was present, which included President Madelyn Bowen, VP of Sponsorship & Marketing Louise Courtenay, VP of Conservation Andrew Roe, Treasurer Molly Doley, Administrator Jason Valdez, and Weighmaster Giovanni Duran.
The agenda included a recap of past events of the membership year and upcoming events, fundraisers, and noteworthy dates.
Tournaments
The 13th Annual Belikin Blue Water Classic Fishing Tournament was our best sponsorship success to date, with a total payout of $87,000 BZD. After making its mark on Belize City on October 14-16, 2022, our 2-day flagship tournament has bolstered the BGFA’s (and its membership’s) efforts to make our next even more memorable. One membership benefit of attending our Annual General Meetings is to have a say in all our rules, events, and more. After October 8-9 and October 20-21, both long weekends, were the membership’s suggested dates for hosting the 14th Annual Belikin Blue Water Classic Fishing Tournament; voting ultimately decided on October 20-21, 2023. Use this as your exclusive insider’s save-the-date!
Board members also led a discussion of the events on the horizon. Most notably and first up is the 7th Annual Belize Deep Sea Classic Fishing Tournament, held at Grand Caribe Resort on Ambergris Caye, from June 29, 2023, to July 2, 2023. Reps of Marlin Magazine, Sport Fishing Magazine, and other influencers including marine artist Carey Chen will be present — a great opportunity to promote Belize as a sportfishing destination. Registration for the 4-day tournament remains open here, where over $125,000 BZD in cash and prizes are up for grabs. BGFA friends and members can get an exclusive 20% discount when booking at Grand Caribe Resort or Sunset Caribe: simply input BGFA as the promo code or mention when booking directly with guestrelations@grandcaribebelize.com.
Fundraising
Our Summer Social
Next up, the board excitedly announced our next upcoming social and fundraiser at the Iguana Stop in Burrell Boom to be held this summer! The BGFA will be running the bar while offering membership gifts onsite. Hats and buffs will also be available for purchase.
Oceana’s Petition Drive
Oceana Belize’s Outreach Assistant Kleon Coleman took the stage next to share upcoming collaborations and advocacy opportunities, including community involvement through a post-September Celebrations clean-up. Likewise, BGFA members were given the opportunity to sign Oceana Belize’s ongoing petition drive as they collect signatures from Belizean residents to trigger a national referendum. The vote will give Belizeans the right to decide if the offshore oil moratorium should be lifted as the right to be consulted on what happens next with offshore oil exploration and development in Belize.
IGFA in Belize
Stu Doley, the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) rep, presented.
Our 2023-2024 Elections
Outgoing Board (L-R): Administrator Jason Valdez, VP of Sponsorship & Marketing, President Louise Courtenay, President Madelyn Bowen, VP of Conservation Andrew Roe, Treasurer Molly Doley, and Weighmaster Jovy Duran. VP of Tournaments Amir Flores not pictured.
This year, all board positions were due! Andrew Roe stepped down from his position as Vice President of Conservation, while Molly Doley resigned as Treasurer along with Amir Flores as Vice President of Tournaments. However, Andrew was re-nominated as Treasurer and accepted, while BGFA welcomes two new members to the board: Zacch Reich as Vice President of Tournaments and Nathan Duncker as Vice President of Conservation. The remainder of the board accepted their positions for re-election.
We take this opportunity to thank our members, board, hosts, sponsors, and all others who made our Annual General Meeting possible! We are especially grateful to Molly & AJ for their years of service. We look forward to another great membership year ahead!
