CNY Business Journal (1996+): Carp contest brings world to banks of St. Lawrence

MASSENA - The world's top carp anglers will converge on the St Lawrence River from June 5-10 for the 2005 World Carp Championship. The 115-hour event will pit more than 100 twoperson teams against each other and the river's abundant supply of large carp. The tournament course runs along 40 miles of shoreline stretching from Ogdensburg to Massena.

Teams from Britain, Canada, the United States, South Africa, Japan, and numerous European nations will travel to St. Lawrence County for the event. Several Massena-area hotels reported the week as "sold out" back. in January. A team representing the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation will also vie for the championship.

Each two-person team has paid a $2,500 entry fee for the event. The Northern New York Travel and Tourism Center at the State University of New York at Potsdam will study the economic impact of the carp tournament.

Media from North America, Europe, and Japan have sought press credentials for the event. Articles about the championship have run in The Wall Street Journal and other major newspapers.

The state's Department of Environmental Conservation and its sporting-license agents will benefit from the influx of anglers. Each out-of-state competitor must purchase a fishing license, to participate. New York State nonresident fishing licenses run from $25 for a 7-day permit to $40 for an annual license.

The American Carp Society (ACS), in association with the International Carp Fishing Association, is hosting the event.

ACS directors David Moore, Sean Manning, and Wayne Boon have worked for more than a year to bring the championship to the banks of the St. Lawrence. The men arrived in Massena in early May to make final preparations for the event. One month before the championship was set to begin, Moore was going non-stop throughout the day.

"I've got two phones and they're both going off at once," says Moore as he contacted sponsors, organizers, and municipalities in St. Lawrence County. The course covers several municipalities and requires ACS to coordinate with state, federal, and local officials as well as with independent entities such as the New York Power Authority and Akwesasne Mohawk Nation. Event sponsors include the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino, Time Warner Cable, Coors Light, and the St. Lawrence Chamber of Commerce.

Anglers will catch and release as many carp as possible during the event. The total weight of the catch is used to determine the winner. A team of 60 tournament marshals will weigh captured carp before they are released. Top team prize is $50,000 cash and two Chevrolet pickup trucks. A $1 million prize is offered for any team that breaks the New York State record of 50 pounds, 4 ounces. The prize is payable in installments over 20 years.

This will be the first World Carp Championship held in the United States. The world championship is usually held in Europe, where carp fishing is vastly more popular than in the United States. Carp fishing videos shot on the St., Lawrence and fishing Web sites have helped spread. the word about the quality of the St. Lawrence's fishing. Carp were introduced into the river in the late 1800s.

Over the past 15 years, carp anglers from Europe have traveled to Massena, Waddington, Ogdensburg, and other St. Lawrence County towns for fishing vacations.

The sport has attracted British entrepreneurs to the area and prompted local businesses to take notice of the carp trade. British actor Tom Felton and his brother helped to start a youth carp tournament held each August. This year will mark the third carp tournament for young anglers.

The Donald Martin Civic Center in Waddington is headquarters for the tournament. A Carp Expo and I Love New York Showcase trade show will take place during the championship.

The Carp Championship will end a week before the Massena Rod & Gun Club's annual bow-fishing tournament. Teams of archers will comb the river to shoot carp from platformequipped boats. The three-day event attracts 300 participants, according to its organizers. This year's contest is the 25th annual.