Havana.- The Ernest Hemingway International Marlin Fishing Tournament, which promises to break attendance records in its 65th edition, will be held on May 25-30 in Havana, Cuba.
Carlos García, president of the business group of nautical clubs and marinas, Marlin SA, noted that, boosted in 1950 by the famous US novelist, the Hemingway Tournament is one of the three oldest such tournaments in the world , which therefore makes Cuba stand out as an attractive destination for nautical tourism.
He said that over the last decade the competition has attracted crews from more than 30 nations, among them the United States with 23 teams, Russia 16, Cuba, United Kingdom, Italy and France with 15 each, and Spain with 14.
Commodore Jose Miguel Diaz, of Cuba’s Hemingway International Nautical Club, said that so far they have received dozens of requests from around the world to participate in the tournament, particularly from the US nautical community.
If their government authorizes it, the attendance of US fishermen this year will break the historic records of 1979 (80 ships) and 1999 (50), predicted Diaz.
The president of the Cuban Fishers Federation, Ramon Cusa, said that the competition will include two modalities: trolling and tag and release, in order not to harm the species during catch. (RHC)
Periodico26.cu, February 11, 2015
