The International 59th annual Marlin Tournament, which will take place this week into Heroes’ weekend (October 12 – October 15) at Old Marina in Port Antonio, Portland, will once again have Sterling Asset Management as a major sponsor.

Since its inception in 2001, Sterling Asset Management has been committed to being a part of occasions that teach good sportsmanship and foster community.

The yearly tournament has been on the organisation’s calendar for several years, alongside its annual charity golf tournament.

Toni-Ann Neita-Elliott, Sterling Asset Management’s VP of sales and marketing, said: “We’re committed to nation-building and supporting good sportsmanship in our communities while inspiring them to invest in opportunities to build generational wealth. This annual event is an important part of that.”

An avid sportsman and enthusiastic angler, Charles Ross, president & CEO of Sterling Asset Management, added: “We’re dedicated to the yearly demonstration of sportsmanship. Fishing is a fantastic metaphor for life. Getting ready, baiting your line and waiting. It teaches you to be patient as well as to be ready for any obstacles life may present. We use the catch and release technique, but we still need to have the strength to pull that marlin in.”

According to the tournament’s official website, its motto is ‘A released, alive and tagged marlin is indeed worth much more to the Jamaican Tourism Product than a dead and eaten one!’ 

The Blue Marlin has been recorded to be up to 500 lbs and over 14 feet in length.

The event’s organiser, Max Rochester, is dedicated to protecting the environment while at sea. He supports the catch-and-release technique and states: “We believe very strongly in this very popular international sport as a tourism-enhancing product and we also believe equally strongly in the total preservation of the entire marine environment around Jamaica.”

When asked why Portland is the yearly location for the annual event, he responded by saying, “Port Antonio is known for having the best conditions for deep-sea angling in Jamaica, next to Montego Bay”.

Of the 10 yachts on display, taking part in the proceedings, underwritten by Sterling Asset Management as a major sponsor – major bragging rights are predicted to go to the Still Keeping It Jiggy yacht crew. For the past three years, they’ve reigned victorious out of five years of tough competition.  

Anglers will be vying for prizes of US$100,000 along with varied sectional prizes.