By Roselyn B. Monroyo
Variety News Staff

TWENTY-EIGHTspearfishermen from Saipan, Tinian and Guam participated in the Marianas Apnea Spearfishing Club’s first Annual Spearfishing Tournament last Saturday.
John Starmer won the inaugural tournament after catching the biggest fish, a 4.52-lb. spade fish. Winning in other categories were Peter Houk, Scott Russell, Cris Sasamoto and Mark Hapdei.
Russell and Houk had the heaviest combined catch of 44.58 lbs and the most fish caught with 24.
Sasamoto had the heaviest emperor fish at 3.72 lbs, Hapdei caught the heaviest goat fish, which weighted 1.41 lbs., Russell had the biggest parrot fish at 3.52 lbs. and Houk won in the rudderfish category with his 4.38 lb-catch.
Other participants in the inaugural tournament were Tinian’s John and Julian Santos, Guam’s James and Kenneth Borja and Saipan’s Manny Camacho, Abraham Quitugua, Greg and Cris Sasamoto, Peter Tegeta, Martine Camacho and Tony Roberts, Jess Villagomez, Emmanuel Sablan, Vince Tudela, Wyman Rechuchur, Scott McClaren, Dave Womach, Tony Tenorio, Jessie Takahashi, John Castro and John Pialor.
The competition site extended from Agingan Point to the light house in Garapan . The tournament started at 9 a.m. after organizers finished the 30-minute site inspection.
Participants had to be at the weigh-in station located behind the Aquarius Beach Tower Hotel by 3 p.m.
“There were nine boats, and some teams shared a boat. The weather was fairly calm, the sun pretty hot and the competition was very tight. The current was strong for about two hours forcing participants to dive between 50 to 70 feet,” said Felix Sasamoto, one of the organizers.
After this first spearfishing tournament on Saipan, Sasamoto said they are planning to hold a big reef fish tournament in August.
Sasamoto and a few Saipan spearfishermen are also going to Guam in August to participate in the Marianas Open.
Organizers of last Saturday’s tournament thanked Boating Safety, the Fish & Wildlife-Fishery & Data section, weightmaster Raymond Roberto, Suzette Sasamoto and her mother for making the event possible.
MASC president Morito Asai and Felix Sasamoto also thanked Marpac, Aquarius Beach Tower, Saipan Fishermen Association, Saipan Fishing Tackle, Hyatt Regency, Trench Tech, Jonnie’s Bar& Grill, Senators Maria Frica T. Pangelinan and Pete Reyes, Marianas Visitors Authority and Aquasmith.