Trustees of the International Game Fish Association have announced the creation of the IGFA Junior Angler World Championship, an annual event to start in 2003 where junior winners in qualifying events will be invited to compete on an international level.

Junior tournaments or junior divisions of adult tournaments will be selected by IGFA as championship qualifying events. A series of such events in 2002 will lead up to the world tournament in 2003.

The IGFA anticipates the first junior championship will be held in the Florida Keys at the beginning of summer vacation in 2003. There will be a small fry division for anglers through age 10 and a junior division for ages 11 through 16. Target species for the championship will include many light-tackle game fish for which the Florida Keys are famous.

Mike Leech, president of IGFA, said the reason IGFA created the junior world championship was to encourage young anglers to stay involved in fishing and receive recognition for their outstanding accomplishments. Leech said that by giving juniors this kind of recognition, it builds up their self esteem, promotes a family-oriented activity and may encourage other youngsters to take up the sport. Today?s junior anglers will be tomorrow?s conservationists, he said.

The Junior World Championship Tournament expands IGFA's popular ongoing junior angler program, which maintains junior world records for boys and girls, publishes the colorful International Junior Angler Newsletter, and maintains a web site for junior anglers at www.IGFA.ORG.

Juniors who submit their catches are also eligible for eight monthly heaviest fish awards. Junior catches may be weighed in the boat and released alive.

The Junior World Championship will tie in with the Rolex/IGFA Offshore and Inshore Championships. Currently the Rolex series of inshore and offshore tournaments includes 115 qualifying tournaments representing 25 countries, 12 states and about 20,000 anglers.

Tournament directors interested in becoming a qualifying event for the IGFA Junior World Championship can contact IGFA for details. Parents who fish in tournaments with junior divisions should notify tournament officials of this opportunity, the IGFA stated.

IGFA is a non-profit, membership-supported, conservation and record keeping association with representatives and members in more than 120 countries and territories. IGFA was founded in 1939. The group also maintains a 60,000-square-foot IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum in Dania Beach, Fla.

For further information, contact the International Game Fish Association, Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum, 300 Gulf Stream Way, Dania Beach, Florida 33004; (954) 927-2628; fax (954) 924-4299; email: [email protected]; web site: www.igfa.org.