The organizers of the event, which will take place between August 28 and 30, anticipate the participation of around 50 vessels and announce that they are in talks to be part of the Deep Sea Fishing World Championship circuit.
The Gran Canaria International Open Deep Sea Fishing is finalizing preparations to hold its fifth edition this summer, between August 28th and 30th, with the participation of some 50 boats. It is doing so, its promoters and organizers announced on Thursday, with the intention of taking another step in the process of promoting its brand internationally and with the challenge of soon being part of the Deep Sea Fishing World Championship.
Santiago de Armas, Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce and President of the Tourism Commission, and Carlos Álamo, Tourism Councilor of the Gran Canaria Island Council, announced that talks to participate in the top competition in this sporting event have already begun. Both addressed this issue at the presentation of the lineup and news for the next edition, held this Thursday, June 26, at the Playa del Inglés Island Tourism Center, alongside Francisco Torres, Director of the Pasito Blanco Marina and of an International Open once again organized by the Pasito Blanco Yacht Club and the Gran Canaria Chamber of Commerce, sponsored by Gran Canaria Tourism, and with the participation of the marinas of Puerto Rico and Mogán, along with that of Pasito Blanco.
The event featured the unveiling of the poster for the upcoming edition. Designed for the third consecutive year by American journalist and influencer Carey Chen, a leading figure on social media in the world of deep-sea fishing, Chen's contribution was highlighted for its impact on the island's and the sporting event's external visibility.
Santiago de Armas recalled that the event has been held 36 times since the initial proposal of the traditional fishing competition, the embryo of the current model and a pioneer in the catch-and-release concept. He noted that it began as a meeting of Pasito Blanco members and that, over the years and with the involvement of Gran Canaria Tourism, it has grown and now has significant international prestige and "is a notable event on all international sport fishing agendas." The Chamber joined the organization three years ago "to present itself as the governing body, especially for international development, and we contribute our entire international structure to give it the character and standing it deserves," added de Armas. He also noted that the three participating marinas are in the process of renewing their port concessions and will receive a significant investment that will put them at the forefront, with new facilities and the application of new technology, "something that is positive for the future development of this event," among other things, by increasing the current capacity to accommodate boats.
Carlos Álamo, for his part, explained that Gran Canaria Tourism, as the main sponsor, values this event's ability to attract higher-spending customers, 12% more than the average customer. According to the councilor himself, "This is a tournament that allows us to highlight our relationship with the sea and aims to become, if it isn't already, the best Deep Sea Fishing competition in Spain. The councilor emphasized that this is a product that allows the destination to be attractive to new market niches, such as North American customers, and allows for progress in both the diversification of the destination's offering and in revenue and spending per customer. What we want is to increase revenue without resorting to an increase in visitor volume," he stated, before pointing out that there are more than 9 million recreational fishermen in Europe, that this segment generates more than €10.000 billion, and that Gran Canaria receives around 10.000 visitors who claim fishing as their main interest.
Álamo reported that the Ministry of Tourism has already begun discussions to integrate this event into the international circuit of the Blue Marlin World Cup, a challenge they hope to achieve in future editions. "We haven't reached our limit yet," the minister stated.
Both the Cabildo council member and the chamber's vice president highlighted the presence of boats and crews from Europe and the United States. In this regard, Francisco Torres, director of the Pasito Blanco Marina, announced the addition of a North American presence, led by important figures in the sport fishing industry in this region, such as artist Carey Cheng and journalist Bill Pino. "Both are prominent media figures who guarantee us a greater presence and a step forward in promoting the event," Torres noted. He revealed that the poster for the next edition is a work by Carey Cheng, who also designed the previous one, which was highly successful and enjoyed a presence on social media.
For his part, Francisco Torres, the competition director, shared some details of what he hopes will be a unique and abundant edition of Blue Marlin, or Bluenose, as it is known in the Canary Islands, with its mandatory release. Torres noted that the last edition broke all records. In the last edition, the process of approaching and photographing the specimen, in order to score points, was completed 21 times before releasing the catch. The prized sprinter appeared up to 51 times during the two days of competition. Gran Canaria boasts a privileged seabed, which is especially friendly on its southern slope.
The organization hopes to match the registration volume of recent editions, with around fifty participants. Torres announced that the process will open in the coming days, but that, based on contacts made in recent weeks, they already expect to reach 50 boats, including vessels from Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, and Tenerife, as well as several from the Iberian Peninsula. They have also confirmed the growing interest of foreign crews participating through charter boats in the area. Torres confirmed the visit of influencer Carey Chen, in addition to the presence of national media such as the Movistar Plus program Caza y Pesca on Radio Marca, several international journalists, and the innovative participation of Da Silva, a fisherman from Madeira who was world champion at the 2015 Blue Marlin World Cup.
It's worth remembering that the Pasito Blanco Deep-Sea Fishing Competition was one of the first fishing championships in Europe to embrace the catch-and-release concept, which was established in the Gran Canarian initiative even before the IGFA regulations required it for the international fleet. These values not only remain in force, but have multiplied as an attribute of the identity of Canarian society and are defended by all participants.
Registration for the event can be completed through the website www.pasitoblanco.com.
