IGFA Representatives
Africa Region
CAMEROON
Alexandre Assaad
Originally from France, Alexandre began fishing at the age of four and has been hooked ever since. Alex is a well-known, all-around fisherman (angler, captain, mate, skipper) who has been committed to the promotion of ethical sportfishing in Cameroon for the past several years. He is a passionate billfish angler and has released hundreds of blue marlin and sailfish in his lifetime, most of them in Cameroonian waters. Alex participates in every angling event in Cameroon aboard his 1964 31 Bertram Bluebeard, and has participated in and won several tournaments in the region. As an IGFA Representative Alex's goal is to work towards better and more sustainable fishing practices in Africa in general.
CAPE VERDE
Matthias Henningsen
Matthias Henningsen was born 1966 in Heidelberg, Germany. After moving to the Canary Islands in 1994 he got hooked on saltwater fishing, especially for targeting blue marlin. In 2002 he founded the Atlantic Fishing Charter (AFC) operation that includes charter boats in Cape Verde and Ascension Islands. He is currently skippering the 43 G&S THE HOOKER out of Cape Verde. "There is nothing better than catching blue marlin with a good team on the boat," says Henningsen. Some of his accomplishments include releasing over 1200 blue marlin, including 22 blue marlin over 900 pounds, and four granders (weighed). Matthias feels fortunate having had the possibility to fish a lot of great places, but he feels Cape Verde and Ascension Islands are hard to beat rin regard to blue marlin numbers and size.
GABON
Bruno E. Tuband
Libreville, Gabon
Bruno Tuband has fished all over the globe; among his favorite destinations are Mexico, Panama, Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau. A former IGFA world record holder, he is a promoter of catch-and-release practices and often educates fellow anglers on ethical fishing practices and the importance of sustainable fishing. As a Representative he wants to help educate anglers in Gabon about IGFA's international angling rules and help promote fisheries conservation.
KENYA
Andrew J. Nightingale
Njoro, Kenja
Avid fisherman Andrew Nightingale embarks on numerous treacherous safaris to beautiful parts of the Kenyan and Ugandan wilderness to discover new places to fish. He is very knowledgeable on IGFA rules and regulations and a strong proponent of catch-and-release. He has spent years educating others on the fundamentals of fishing-- including rods, rigs and tackle, handling, weighing and safe release of live healthy fish. Nightingale has been instrumental in IGFA's work to identify and catalogue the diverse species of freshwater fish in Africa.
Roy Bealey
Roy is an avid fisherman and fisheries scientist. He was born in Kenya and grew up in Zimbabwe before attending Rhodes University in South Africa. He's always lived and worked in developing countries and managed various fisheries research and management projects in Africa, the Caribbean and Australia. His current professional role is as Fisheries Director of the International Pole & Line Foundation (IPNLF). He's eager to leverage his passion for sportfishing, experience and global network to help amplify the voice and positive impact of IGFA in East Africa and beyond.
MAURITIUS
Yann F. Colas
Rodrigues Island, Mauritius
Based on Rodrigues Island about 600 kilometers east of Mauritius, Yann Colas targets blue and black marlin, dogtooth tuna and yellowfin tuna employing a diverse array of fishing techniques. Colas wishes to continue promoting the philosophy and the ethics of the IGFA by encouraging catch-and-release. He is a frequent contributor to a number of international fishing publications and very active in social media.
Frederic Camoin
Riviere Noire-Mauritius
Frederic is the operator of the No Limit, a big game fishing charter in Mauritius. Frederic who started fishing at the young age of 2, has competed in multiple fishing tournaments around the world and in 2011 was selected the top angler for the World Billfish Series (WBS) for the Pacific division. A member of the Le Morne Anglers Club, Frederic is a member of the Club's tournament organizing committee. As an IGFA Representative Frederic hopes to introduce the IGFA to local anglers and promote ethical angling practices. Frederic also plans to start educational programs for children in Mauritius, to teach future generations about the importance of conservation.
MOZAMBIQUE
Duarte Rato
Captain Duarte Rato was born in Portugal and started offshore fishing when he was eight years old when his family moved to Mozambique in 1982. After graduating with a degree in Tourism Management and a short stint in the hotel industry, Rato decided to pursue his passion for fishing full-time. He moved to the infamous black marlin waters of the Bazaruto Archipelago, and since 2000 has been instrumental in promoting this fishery to the world. Running his charter boat VAMIZI, Rato has caught more grander black marlin for his clients than any other captain in Africa. He has become an ambassador for the area and an advocate of the tag and release of billfish in the country. He presently leads several research projects to prove the waters off Bazaruto as the first scientifically recognized spawning ground for black marlin in the Indian Ocean. Duarte also has a deep love for photography and his sportfishing pictures are regularly featured in fishing and travel publications throughout the world, including Marlin Magazine, BlueWater, and Ski-Boat magazine.
NAMIBIA
Jaco Visser
An avid angler from a young age, Jaco Visser has participated in a variety of fishing throughout his life. Jaco currently serves as President of the Namibian Artlure Angling Association and served as Namibian Captain at the World Fishing Games in 2019, where Namibia obtained a Bronze Medal in this discipline. Jaco's pursuits in sport fishing have taken him around the world in search of challenging species and has been fortunate to fish most parts of Africa, Europe and Canada in both salt and freshwater settings. For the past two decades, Jaco has served as Financial Director of Gondwana Collection, a Namibian Tourism Group that owns and operates several lodges and camps which are known for their efforts and credentials in the conservation of natural habitats and community involvement.
SOUTH AFRICA
Brendan Davids
Brendan is a fishing fanatic and has been fishing since the tender age of 2. He has fished on 5 continents and loves all facets of angling from trout on dry fly to marlin on heavy tackle. His main passion is competitive angling, particularly light tackle billfishing. His best multiple to one was achieved on an estimated 70kg (154lb) striped marlin released on 6kg test. For relaxation he can be found enjoying Africa's big five on the Zambezi River while catching the majestic tigerfish. Brendan is involved in coaching competitive deep sea anglers with the main focus on junior anglers. He is a lifetime member of IGFA and has been advocating the rules for decades. He is staunch supporter of IGFA, an organization which brings professionalism, sportsmanship and conservation to angling.
Erwin Bursik
Durban, South Africa
Erwin Bursik has fished almost his entire life, starting with surf fishing before progressing to boat fishing in Durban Harbor. For 48 years Bursik has served on both his provincial deep sea fishing association as well as the South African Deep Sea Angling Association's (SADSAA) national council, acting as treasurer for the greater portion of this time. Erwin was appointed as an IGFA Representative in March 1988, and hosted Elwood Harry during his presidential visit to South Africa later that year. He remains an IGFA representative to date. In 1985, following a successful corporate career, he started the offshore fishing magazine "SKI-BOAT" which is still being published today. The IGFA has played a major role in Bursik's life, and he promotes its aims and objectives not only in South Africa, but throughout his travels in Africa and beyond.
Nick Nel
An accomplished angler, Nick Nel's fishing career over the years has been centered around tournaments. From 2014-2018, Nel served as the Vice President of the Natal Deep Sea Angling Association (NDSAA), a governing body of the sport in the KwaZulu Natal province of South Africa. Nick also served as the President of the NDSAA, a position from which he retired earlier this year. Having represented his country in three international tournaments (France, USA, and Portugal), he currently serves as the Local & International Tournaments Officer for the South African Deep Sea Angling Association (SADSAA). In this role, Nick assists in arranging local, national, and inter-provincial tournaments fished under IGFA rules, as well as identifying international tournaments for South African anglers to compete in. Nick's accomplished angling career made him a recipient of South Africa's Protea Colours (otherwise known as National Colours), which is the highest accolade that can be achieved by a member of a South African sporting body.
John M. Pledger
Randburg, South Africa
John Pledger is an avid angler and an active member of the South African recreational angling community. John is a past president of the South African Deep Sea Angling Association (SADSAA), a position he held for four years. John also served as president of the South African Surf Angling and Casting Confederation (SASACC), which is an organization that represented all angling genres and is affiliated to the South African Sports Commission and Olympic Committee (SASCOC). Currently, John serves as the chairman of SACRAA South African Consolidated Recreational Anglers Association (SACRAA), which is a body that represents all recreational anglers in South Africa (roughly 12.5 million) who are not active members of clubs or organizations.
TANZANIA
Jason Alexiou
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Jason Alexiou has been lucky to turn his passion into a career by working in various charter operations along the Tanzanian coast. He serves as an officer of the Dar es Salaam Yacht Club, one of the biggest fishing/yacht clubs in Tanzania. An avid angler and conservationist, he has worked with the Ministry of Fisheries on issues of illegal fishing. He currently holds two IGFA world records.