Guy Harvey's Bimini Big Game Club Outpost
Announces First Annual Billfish Invitational For May 18, 2011

MIAMI, FL-FEBRUARY 17, 2011 - Guy Harvey and his partners in Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts LTD today officially announced plans to host the Billfish Invitational at the Bimini Big Game Club, on May 18, 2011. Net proceeds from the all release event will be administered by the Big Game Club for the direct benefit of conservation and education programs to be implemented in Bimini at the direction of the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation and the IGFA.

Host to numerous major sport fishing tournaments for more than half a century, The Billfish Invitational marks the Big Game Club's return to world-class bluewater tournament angling, after a decade long hiatus.

"With The Billfish Invitational, we're not only restoring the Club's legacy of great tournaments, good times and camaraderie, but also establishing a new tradition of using tournament proceeds to directly benefit our friends in Bimini who make this a special place", commented Mark Ellert, president of Guy Harvey Outpost, LTD.

"The founders of Guy Harvey Outpost, LTD consider ourselves stewards of history and tradition of both Bimini and the legendary Big Game Club," said Dr. Harvey, who with partners Bill Shedd, Charles Forman and Mark Ellert supervised the reopening of the Big Game Club after a multi-million dollar renovation.

The tournament will feature three days of fishing, and target all billfish species. In addition to individual prizes, the tournament format will include the award of two perpetual trophies, to be displayed in the Club's new trophy room lounge. One trophy is named for two giants among a long line of legendary Bimini personalities--Ernest Hemingway and Michael Lerner--and the second trophy honors Personal Achievement in the Advancement of Big Game Sport Fishing with the establishment of The Frank Johnson Trophy.

The Hemingway-Lerner Trophy will be presented to the tournament's top Billfish Team, recognizing friendship, teamwork, and the pursuit of excellence, while Frank Johnson himself will be the inaugural recipient of the Frank Johnson Trophy.

"Sport fishing is both a team and individual sport, one that owes much of its modern day popularity to the passion, perseverance and friendship of men like Ernest Hemingway and Michael Lerner, which gave birth to the International Game Fish Association (IGFA), and the advancements brought to the sport by men like Frank Johnson," Bill Shedd added.

Bimini's location along the legendary Gulfstream (a "river" of warm water) location is at the apex of a superhighway for migrating fish and acts as a kind of sushi conveyor belt carrying abundant food to the local fish. Deepwater game fish include marlin, tuna, sailfish, wahoo and swordfish, while big grouper, barracuda and schools of snapper can be found on the reefs. Bimini's flats are home the fishermen's favorite prey, bonefish and permit. With more than 50-record-setting catches in the waters around the island, Bimini has earned its title of Sport Fishing Capital of the World.

Eligible species for the Billfish Tournament include Blue Marlin, White Marlin, Sailfish, Spearfish and Swordfish.

Administered by the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation and the IGFA, tournament proceeds will be reinvested in Bimini and surrounding waters. For registration and further details, contact Captain Ned Stone at nstone@guyharveyoutpost.com or call 954-524-2225 (office) or 954-205-9595 (cell).

About the 2011 Billfish Invitational

Tournament Dates & Location
The tournament will take place May 18-22 2011. Fishing days will be May 19, 20, and 21. The tournament will be based at the Bimini Big Game Club, a Guy Harvey Outpost, and all participating boats must be registered at the Club for the duration of the tournament.

Eligible Species
Blue Marlin, White Marlin, Sailfish, Spearfish and Swordfish.

Fun Fish Division
Dolphin, Wahoo, Tuna (Yellowfin & Blackfin).

Licenses & Permit
All participating anglers must possess the necessary licenses and permits. All boats must abide by all local and international laws. NOTE: Clearance fees for a participant's boat's cruising/fishing permit (good for four) will be reimbursed dby the Club upon checkout.

Entry Fee
An entry fee of $5000 covers tournament entry, meals, parties and gifts for up to 6 team members.

May 18 - Captains' Meeting/Welcome Dinner
This meeting will be from 6pm to 7pm. At least one representative from each team must be present. All anglers and crew are encouraged to attend. The rules may be amended verbally or in writing at the time of the meeting. Anglers are responsible for being well informed of all rules.

May 19 - Benefit Auction & Dinner
There will be an auction to benefit Conservation and Education programs specifically for Bimini. The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, in cooperation with the International Game Fish Association, will administer these funds.

May 20 - Dinner Roast and Presentation of The Frank Johnson Trophy
A new chapter in the history of the Big Game Club will be written this evening with the establishment of the Frank Johnson Trophy, cast in bronze by celebrated artist Ed Pang. To be awarded annually by Guy Harvey Outpost, LTD., this trophy will be presented to that individual whose personal achievements have contributed to the advancement of international big game sport fishing. The award is named in honor of Frank Johnson, who will be the first recipient of this annual award. Frank is a pioneer in the creation of artificial lure design and manufacturing, whose Moldcraft Lures are used daily around the world by anglers of all skill levels. To many he is friend, and to all who are passionate in their pursuit of big game sport fishing industry, he is a legend. His close friends and colleagues will be assembled to recognize and reminisce about Frank's personal and professional accomplishments that give rise to this award. The stories of this evening will be certain to make Hemingway proud. This trophy and will remain on display at the club for generations of visiting anglers and guests to enjoy.


May 21 - Awards Dinner and Presentation of the Hemingway-Lerner Trophy
The inaugural Billfish Invitational tournament will conclude with an awards presentation dinner. Culminating an evening of celebration, the tournament committee will award the Hemingway-Lerner Trophy to the Top Billfish Team. Established to celebrate big game sport-fishing friendship, teamwork, and the pursuit of excellence, this magnificent sculpture of a rising blue marlin, cast in shimmering stainless steel by world-renowned sculptor Kent Ullberg, will be awarded to the Top Billfish Team, in recognition of such accomplishments. This trophy and will remain on display at the club for generations of visiting anglers and guest to enjoy.


Awards
Prizes will be awarded for:
First, Second, and Third Place Billfish Team
First, Second, and Third Place Billfish Angler
First Blue Marlin
Last Blue Marlin
Top Lady Angler
Largest Dolphin
Largest Wahoo
Largest Tuna
First, Second, and Third Place Fun Fish Division Team
Most Unusual Catch/Release (If you can't eat it, don't kill it; bring us a picture)


Conservation

In the interest of conservation, Guy Harvey Outpost and the Tournament Committee ask that all inedible and undersized fish be released as quickly as possible. Should a participant have a mutilated fish or a non-target species that is otherwise unable to survive, the Bimini Shark Lab will be pleased to accept donations. Please use the trash barrels at the fish cleaning stations for your old bait, fish heads and carcasses.

Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, in cooperation with the International Game Fish Association, is proud to announce that the net proceeds the Billfish Invitational will be invested in Bimini and surrounding waters. Among the programs to be supported are: satellite telemetry tagging to study migratory patterns of local billfish populations, marine science curriculum and field study programs within the local Bimini schools, with curriculum to be developed jointly by the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, IGFA and Nova Southeastern University/Guy Harvey Research Institute, and creation of an artificial reef system offshore of North Bimini.

About Bimini Big Game Club, a Guy Harvey Outpost Resort and Marina

Founded as a dinner club in 1936 in Alice Town, the island's cultural hub, by Nassau entrepreneur and bon-vivant, Neville Stuart, the Big Game Club has over the last 74 years hosted world-class fishermen, major tournaments, international celebrities and tens of thousands guests looking to bask in the unique "Islands in the Stream" mantra made famous by author Ernest Hemingway who lived and fished in Bimini in the mid 1930s.

Today, the Big Game Club's Outpost concept is designed to take the resort beyond that of a "fishing lodge" (though admittedly a majority of visitors will be there for the world class fishing) to create an eco-destination attracting both fishing and diving enthusiasts while focusing on adventure travel, sustainable tourism and marine conservation.

Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts has teamed with top-of-class sportsmen to deliver top-of-class fishing and diving experiences, known to the group as Outpost Pursuits.

Renowned dive authority Neal Watson oversees the Club's new dive operation, Dive Bin, showcased by its 60 ft. double deck, glass bottom dive boat, the largest in the Bahamas out-islands.

Bonefish Bimini, headed by artist, conservationist and fly fishing personality, Vaughn Cochran, works with the island's elite bonefishing guides and is quickly restoring awareness of Bimini's legendary "Big Bones".

Sportfishing charters operations have been established at the Club, with the recent arrival of record setting Captain Billy Black, a fixture on the Bahamas offshore fishing circuit.

The Big Game Club, which is located on the main navigation channel in Bimini Bay, currently features a 51-room resort and a 75-slip marina capable of accommodating boats up to 145 feet in length. A full service fuel dock will be operational by Spring 2012.

Guestrooms and suites have been fully renovated, as with the new Bimini Big Game Bar & Grill, and completion of the Hemingway Lounge and Gulfstream conference center. The Club also offers the Guy Harvey Outfitter Shop, for the best in sportswear, gifts and accessories. Upcoming plans include completion of an exercise center, and development of a field research installation to showcase the work of the Guy Harvey Research Institute and the Nova Southeast University Oceanographic Center.

Location: Alice Town (North Bimini's Southern Tip)
Marina Facilities: 75 Slips
Regular Rooms: 35
Penthouse Suites: 4
Cottage Rooms: 12
Restaurants: Bimini Big Game Bar & Grill, Hemingway Lounge
Meeting Space: Gulfstream Conference Center
Pools: Freshwater
Other Activities: Outpost Outfitter Shop, Deepsea Fishing, Flats Fishing, Diving, Snorkeling, Shopping, Sightseeing, Sunset Cruises, Picnics
Reservation: 1-800-867-4764
Website: BigGameClubBimini.com