After a three-year hiatus due to COVID-related circumstances and post-pandemic expenses, the world-famous Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament (HIBT) will return to Kailua-Kona for its 61st year from August 7-11.
Drawing many of the top big-game fishing teams from every corner of the globe, anglers will compete for some of the largest billfish in the Pacific Ocean just off of Kailua Pier — including Pacific blue marlin, striped marlin, black marlin and broadbill swordfish.
Fishermen from countries such as China, Germany, Kenya, New Zealand, Guam, Marshall Islands and the American Samoa have traveled to partake in the historical outing.
“I think a lot of people are happy to see it return,” HIBT’s International Game Fish Association Judge Rick Gaffney said. “Especially since its status was unknown. To see it come back is definitely important to folks, particularly those focused on Kailua Bay and Kailua Pier.”
In the six-plus decades of HIBT’s existence, several impressive milestones have been set in Kailua Bay. The International Game Fish Association’s world record for Pacific blue marlin on the 50-pound test line has surpassed 1,000 pounds twice during the tournament.
Some of the billfish caught have been enormous enough to grab the attention of scientists. In recent years, satellite tracking tags have been placed on these monstrous fish to be studied in regards to their movements.
Over 90% of the fish that are captured are later released for procreation purposes to ensure the continuation of big-game fishing in the region.
“What we’ve learned about the ocean is that it’s not an endless supply of fish,” Gaffney said. “The world’s oceans have been overfished for the most part, so conservation is critical to that.”
The tournament’s scoring system is simple. Billfish points are given by points per pound for any catch 300 pounds or over. Tuna catches are scored on a points-per-pound basis if the catch is 100 pounds or more. All catches are taken on 80 and 50-pound line tests.
Weigh-ins take place at Kailua Pier at the end of each day of the event. Teams can be as small as two and as large as six contestants.
Bonus points are additionally awarded at the end of each day. One-hundred extra points are given to any broadbill weighing 500 pounds or heavier. For the heaviest marlin or broadbill of each day and in the tournament as a whole, 100 extra points each are given.
In 2019 — the last time the tournament was held — a father-son team of Laguna Niguel Billfish Club-Firestein of California won the prestigious Governor’s Trophy with 1,600 points. This award recognizes the highest-scoring team of the week.
There are additional second and third-place awards for the Governor’s Trophy. Other notable recognitions at the week’s conclusion include the Duke Kahanamoku Memorial Award (heaviest billfish catch in the tournament) and the George S. Parker Jr. Award. (Angler and skipper capturing a marlin weighing 1,000 pounds or more.)
“You’ve got teams like the Laguna Niguel Billfish Club who are competing this year, who have won the tournament more than any other team in history,” Gaffney added. “So they’re back and they could extend their lead this year.”
The inception of the tournament dates back to 1959, where Peter Fithian — a former worker of the Master’s Tournament in Augusta, Georgia — began working at the Kona Inn. The Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame member quickly noticed the abundance of large marlin the hotel guests were catching off the island’s coast.
“The world needs to know about this,” Fithian said at the time.
Fithian quickly gained support from the rest of the community — ranging from business executives to tourism chairmen. Then, just two days after Hawaii was unionized into the United States, the tournament debuted — and the rest is history. The event gained even more traction after George Woller set the 80-pound-class world record with a 444-pound Pacific blue catch that same year.
The competition’s popularity grew to a point where celebrities would visit the island to partake, including the likes of Richard Boone, Lee Marvin, William Conrad, Jonathan Winters, Toshiro Mifune and Arte Johnson. Hawaiian Olympic champion Duke Kahanamoku additionally competed, famously losing a sizable catch by breaking his rod. Kahanamoku’s participation was enough to have one of the tournament’s primary awards named after him.
The tournament’s storied legacy will continue on next week, adding worldwide exposure to the west side of the island once again.
“(HIBT’s) original purpose was to introduce Kona to the world, and it did that very well” Gaffney said. “And now, 61 years later, it is still doing it.”