Marlin Fishing: More Than Just Leisure for Michael Brauser

Marlin Fishing: More Than Just Leisure for Michael Brauser

Michael Brauser has a love of sports fishing and by participating in the Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament (ABMT) he is able to mix leisure and charity. This event mirrors the way Michael approaches all his community projects. Since its inception in 1972, for over 43 years, the ABMT has evolved from a Blue Marlin tournament to exemplify charity, preservation and community.

Charity
“Started by Chuck Senf back in 1972 – and nicknamed The Boy Scout Tournament since a portion of the proceeds have always benefited the V.I. Council of the Boy Scouts of America, one of Senf’s favorite charities – the ABMT has evolved into one of the best competitive saltwater sports fishing events in the world”. (Source: www.ambt.vi)

The British V.I. Scout Council works with community groups to run local Scouting Programs. To this day, Scouting on the islands is successful thanks to the commitment of schools, churches and service organizations. Over the years, additional youth groups such as The Boys and Girls Club, My Brother’s Workshop and Jr. Gardening & Ecology Academy have joined.

Thanks to ABMT volunteers, Marine Vocational Programs are available to the Scouts and other organizations .

Here are some Marine Vocational Programs (MVP) Scouts have completed:

• Open Water Diving Certification Course
• Open Water Diving Advanced Certification Course
• Divemaster Certification
• U.S. Sailing Level 1 Small Boat Certification Course
• USCG Captains License

MVP also offers, swimming lessons, marine mechanics, tourism training, crew training and small boat handling.

Buy tournament or angler merchandise online to help support the MVP.

Preservation
The ABMT is accountable for their catch and release policy. Their proactive approach to training observers has contributed to their longevity.

"The need for qualified observers triggered the ABMT’s involvement in the development of IGFA’s Certified Observer Program (COP) in which we were instrumental in both the writing of the IGFA training manual and in the actual training of the observer applicants". (Source: www.abmt.vi)

Thanks to the generosity of British V.I businesses and locals, observers are taken care of while attending the tournament.

MVP programs are designed to transfer knowledge from community professionals to the youth. Even though employability is the goal, preservation is the cornerstone of the future. Thanks to MVP the preservation of the sea and its contents are passed on to the young generations.

Community
“The ABMT is the name that our volunteer group calls itself”. So essentially, ABMT is run by volunteers, committed members of the ABMT community who coordinate fundraising events and programs.

Fundraising activities such as the magazine, On The Edge and MarlinFest are vital for sharing the love of angling internationally. Most importantly, the profits go directly to the MVP.

On The Edge
Available in print and online, On The Edge released its 10th Anniversary edition in 2016. This magazine has a worldwide reach of 250,000 print copies in 450+ locations that promotes the angling community and AMBT programs..

MarlinFest
Coinciding with the annual ABMT is a week of festivities called MarlinFest. It’s a tight schedule with a fishing (Big Five) tournament, golf tournament, BBQ Beach Party, Chowder Challenge, and much more.

Leading up to the ABMT MarlinFest has developed into a exciting time to celebrate the success of ABMT. All players are there from anglers & artists to boat captains & boat builders.