2002 Unalaska World Record Halibut Derby

    The 7th Annual Unalaska World Record Derby ran from May 13, 2002, through September 29, 2002. This year, Jim Johnson took home the prize, with a 413 pound fish. This fish was shy of the IGFA world record of 469 pounds. Take a look at Alaska Magazine’s Coverage of the event. 

We look forward to the 2003 season, and encourage your
participation in this fun and profitable event!
 

Ticket Prices

  • Daily Ticket: $10.00

  • Weekly Ticket: $50.00

  • Monthly Ticket: $100.00

  • Seasonal Ticket: $150.00

Tickets available for sale at the following locations:

  • Alaska Commercial Company

  • Carl's, Inc, Hardware Dept.

  • Eagle Quality Center

  • Grand Aleutian Hotel

Unalaska World Record Halibut Derby Prizes

For kids under 16: $200 for 1st place and $100 for second place in addition to being eligible for these other prizes:

$100 Weekly prize (details inside)

$1000 Mid-season prize for largest fish

May 13—June 30

July 1—August 18

August 19—September 29

$5000 Seasonal prize for largest fish

$1000 Seasonal prize for Season ticket holders (winner to be determined by special drawing)

And $100,000 if you break the IGFA Certified All-tackle Pacific Halibut World Record in accordance with local derby rules.

 

Official Unalaska World Record Halibut Derby Rules

Ticket Purchase and Validation:
Tickets must be purchased by the participant from an official ticket vendor in the following categories: Daily: $10.00; Weekly: $50.00; Monthly: $100.00; Seasonal: $150.00. All contestants must be properly registered with a ticket vendor and have an appropriately validated official derby ticket on their person or on the boat from which the fish is caught  at the time of the catch. Tickets will only be valid on the day(s) the participant has been properly registered to fish and which his/her ticket is valid. The name of each contestant will be recorded when his/her ticket is purchased. A copy of the rules may be picked up at ticket vendors or at the Unalaska/Port of Dutch Harbor Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Eligibility:
Any contestant complying with contest rules shall be eligible. Contestants must purchase an official derby ticket. All persons 16 years old and over must possess a current
sport fishing license as required by the Alaska Department of Fish & Game. Commercial fishing by the ticket holder during the applicable ticket period will disqualify the participant. Commercial gear on board the boat will disqualify the participant. Charter boat captains and crew are not eligible for the derby while on a chartered trip. Derby officials are eligible, but can not weigh their own fish or fish caught by a member of their fishing party. ALL ENTRANTS SHALL ABIDE BY ALL APPLICABLE SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS, INCLUDING STATE AND FEDERAL.

Tackle:
All fish taken and entered into the derby must be taken on sport tackle only in compliance with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game regulations. World record fish must be caught according to current IGFA rules and regulations. Copies of the rules are available from ticket vendors.

Points of Origin and Return:
Contestants must originate from, and return to the City of Unalaska city limits within the same calendar day and on board the same vessel from which the fish was caught for a catch to be eligible in the derby.

Weigh-In Procedures:
Each fish to be entered must be weighed in at the City of Unalaska Small Boat Harbor weigh station and accompanied by the angler catching the fish. This station will be on the City’s B Float behind the UniSea Inn. It will be the responsibility of the contestant to have a contending halibut on the dock before midnight and to contact a derby official prior to midnight on the day the fish was caught. For an official weigh-in, a contestant must call the Unalaska/Dutch Harbor Harbormaster’s office on VHF radio, Channel 16, or by phone at 581-1254. Contestants wishing to weigh and certify their catch must complete an official affidavit and must have at least one witness testify that the fish was caught in accordance with official derby rules. Any signed affidavit suspected of containing false information will be turned over to the derby officials for investigation and review by the Halibut Derby Committee. All decisions by the Halibut Derby Committee are final. Weighing must be done according to the standard derby procedure and certified by a recognized derby weigh-in official. The weigh master official shall at his/her discretion, observe and inspect the entered fish as it is cleaned or may choose to check contents of the fish him/herself. Any unusual objects found in a fish which adds weight will automatically disqualify a contestant from any prize.

Waiver of Liability:
The purchase of an Unalaska World Record Halibut Derby ticket constitutes a waiver of liability absolving the sponsors of any and all damages or liability which may occur after entering the event.

Ties:
For mid-season and seasonal prizes, in the event of an equal weight for two fish, the winner will be the longest fish, with the measurement being fork-length.

More than One Certified IGFA World Record:
In the event that more than one person breaks the world record and is certified by IGFA, the fish that is the largest one certified by IGFA during the duration of the derby will win the derby world record prize.

Minimum Size for Contestant Fish:
A fish must measure a minimum of 32 inches to be considered a contestant fish (fork-length).

Photographs:
Photographs of contestants become the property of the Unalaska World Record Halibut Derby and may be used for publicity purposes.

Prize Winner's Responsibilities:
Any taxes on cash awards are the sole responsibility of the individual winner. All prize winners must provide their tax identification number. Failure to do so will result in the withholding of federal income tax at a rate of 20%.

Winner Announcements:
Weekly drawing winners will be announced each week. For derby purposes, a week is defined as being from midnight Sunday to midnight Sunday. Mid-season winners will be announced on the second business day following the end of the period. Seasonal winners will be announced on the next working day after September 29, 2002. If there is a World Record breaker, the winner will be announced and the prize money will be awarded following certification by IGFA.

Disqualifications:
Violations of any of the derby rules or fishing regulations will disqualify an individual for the duration of the derby.

Weekly Cash Drawings:
Weekly Cash Prizes will be awarded by drawing. All properly registered derby tickets for that week, including Weekly, Seasonal and Monthly tickets, will be entered into the drawing. You do not need to have caught any fish to be eligible for this weekly drawing.

 

Local Sports Fishing Charters
 
Click for information on available local charter boats and contact information.