IGFA Representatives
Oceania Region
Alistair McGlashan
Al McGlashan has been lucky enough to turn his passion for fishing into a career as a photographer, underwater cameraman, producer, writer and conservationist. He hosts "Fishn' with Mates" airing on Netflix, Sportsman's Channel and the Nine Network. McGlashan's focus is promoting proper fishing education, maintaining fishing access, and encouraging the next generations to go fishing.
AUSTRALIA
William Sawynok
North Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
William Sawynok manages Suntag Australia-- one of the largest volunteer tagging programs in the world with a database of more than 870,000 fish. In 2011 he established the Crystal Bowl which provides a range of fishing forecasts including expected catch rates, sizes of fish, stock trends, and recruitment using tagging and other datasets. These forecasts are provided for barramundi and threadfin in the Fitzroy River in Queensland and other areas as data becomes available.
Sean Tracey
Associate Professor Sean Tracey's life-long passion for the ocean and angling led him to a career in fisheries biology. Over the last 20 years, he has travelled across Australia and the world fishing for, and working on, a wide range of marine species - from satellite tagging bluefin tuna at extreme northern latitudes off Norway and off southern Tasmania in Australia, to engaging with the booming recreational swordfish fishery off the temperate waters of Australia. His work with the recreational swordfish fishing fleet was an opportunity to track these amazing fish further south than ever before, and to gain the first scientific insights on their migration and behavior in these southern reaches. A passionate advocate for education, knowledge sharing and citizen science, Sean founded the highly successful Tuna Champions program, which encourages recreational fishers to use the best evidence-based fishing and handling practices for the iconic Southern Bluefin Tuna, so no fish is wasted - and to become stewards of the SBT fishery.
Albert A. Threadingham
South Queensland, Australia
Although fishing has always been a prominent part of Albert Threadingham's life, it was in Fiji in 1970 that he was first introduced to what has become one of his greatest passions: big-game fishing. Threadingham's fishing career and vast knowledge of the sport have led him to hold various posts in the fishing tournament industry. Today he works as the chief judge at many prominent tournaments around the globe including the renowned Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament (HIBT). Threadingham's beloved wife Pauline is a partner in his success. Several tournament trophies have been named after the couple.
Sanchia Judith Glaskin
Southern NSW, Australia (Shellharbour to Eden)
Sanchia Glaskin has worked extensively to promote game fish conservation in Australia for more than 20 years. Before becoming an IGFA Representative in 2012, Glaskin held several influential positions with fisheries management groups including president of the New South Wales Game Fish Association (NSWGFA). Glaskin has recently turned his attention to educating the next generation of anglers that he believes will preserve the future of our sport.
John Burgess
Maroubra, New South Wales, Australia
A lifelong recreational angler, Burgess serves as Board Director and Executive Officer of ANSA - Australian National Sportfishing Association Ltd - one of the oldest and largest organizations representing sport fishing across the continent. Burgess also serves on several committees addressing recreational and commercial fisheries management. He is a vocal advocate for the rights of recreational anglers and believes in balancing effective preservation and management of the marine environment and resources. Burgess is a regular guest speaker at fishing clubs and takes every opportunity to promote IGFA's vision and mission. In 2017 he received the prestigious Mal Ramsay Lifetime Achievement Award for his recreational fishing contributions.
Evan Jones
Queensland, Australia
Evan Jones has been an active game fisherman for over 30 years, fishing in tournaments worldwide including Hawaii and Costa Rica. His interests are marine resources management, artificial reef design, and implementation and management of marine parks. In 2010, he received the IGFA Conservation Award.
Douglas Sanderson
Douglas Sanderson is a director for the Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation (ARFF). A former vice-president of the Game Fishing Association of Australia (GFAA), he is the current director of its Research and Development Foundation Ltd. In various executive positions, Sanderson's main goal has always been the promotion of the sport.
Tim Simpson
Queensland, Australia
Tim Simpson is the former publisher and editor-in-chief of BlueWater Boats & Game Fishing magazine and currently serves as editor at large for a major Australian boating magazine Trade-a-Boat. Before he got into the publishing business, Simpson ran two of Australia's largest fishing tackle stores for 20 years. He co-authored the popular 320-page guidebook to every type of fishing lure "The Book of Lures". Simpson's knowledge of angling rules, techniques and tackle enabled him to serve as chief judge at various tournaments and advisor to national and international angling associations and government agencies. Simpson is a seven-time IGFA world record holder, and for nine years was a board member of The Billfish Foundation.
Laurie Wright
Cairns, Australia
IGFA captain Laurie Wright started his charter business in 1983 with marlin fishing in his blood. Wright has steered his anglers to many world records, including the men's world record for black marlin on eight-pound test line and the women's world record for black marlin on 30-pound test line--both still standing today. Although he has fished all over the world, Wright's promotion of the Cairns marlin fishery is legendary. Dr. Guy Harvey has fished with Wright numerous times and dedicated an entire chapter of his book "Portraits of the Deep" to the Great Barrier Reef and his adventures with Wright. Wright served as President of the Cairns Professional Game Fishing Association from 2001 to 2007 and was instrumental in the planning and establishment of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. A key figure in the establishment of the Cairns Game Fishing Hall of Fame in 2006, he himself was inducted in 2008. In 2010, Wright received the IGFA Gil Keech Heavy Tackle Award for his angling prowess. In 2011, he was presented with the Elwood K. Harry Fellow Award for his outstanding contributions to the sport of recreational fishing. In 2016 he received the IGFA Tommy Gifford Award in recognition of his significant contributions to recreational angling as one of the world's top captains.
Christopher Baty
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Christopher Baty started out in the fishing tackle trade nearly 30 years ago, introducing new and exciting gear and techniques to anglers across Australia. He has written for several Australian fishing magazines, co-hosted radio shows, and was a guest on national television fishing shows. Baty has fished throughout Australia and in other famous destinations including Prince Edward Island, Vanuatu, Christmas Island, Fiji, New Zealand and Mongolia.
Jeff Cooper
Broome, Western Australia
Jeffrey Cooper is a passionate and proactive advocate for recreational fishing and the values of the IGFA. His strong qualifications and experience in fisheries and aquaculture have enabled him to lead innovative fisheries enhancement and citizen-science projects to improve recreational fishing in Western Australia. He is a former board member of the Marine Park Reserves Authority, former president of the Broome Fishing Club, and a current board member of Recfishwest-- a nonprofit representing the interests of 740,000 recreational anglers in Western Australia.
Ben Patrick
Fremantle, WA
Ben Patrick is managing director and owner of Halco Tackle Company based in Fremantle, Western Australia. He has fished extensively along the West Australian coastline and around the world, and is an accomplished tournament angler. Patrick is actively involved in various fisheries resource management issues throughout Australia.
FIJI
Marc McElrath
Denarau Island, Fiji
Over the last 30 years Marc McElrath has fished the Fiji Islands, Costa Rica, Hawaii, New Zealand and Samoa. He is former President of the Denarau Game and Sports Fishing Club and served as a committee member for the last 12 years. The club has grown to over 100 members who support and promote fishing conservation and responsible angling in accordance with IGFA rules.
Harvie Probert
Suva, Fiji Islands
Harvie Probert's involvement in fishing spans over 60 years: officer of the Royal Suva Yacht Club Game Fishing Association; record-keeping officer for the Fiji International Game Fishing Association since 2002; and board member of the Fiji Amateur Sports Association and National Olympic Committee representing the interests of the recreational angling community. Probert lobbies for fisheries conservation measures such as restrictions on commercial fishing vessels.
NEW CALEDONIA
Alain Destours
Didier De Stoppeleire
Noumea Cedex, New Caledonia
Didier De Stoppeleire was appointed IGFA's first Representative for New Caledonia in 1998 when few people in the French territory knew about the organization. He was a founding member and president of the Sports Fishing Center of Douala in Cameroon in 1982. De Stoppeleire is a big proponent of youth education and conservation initiatives and has also worked hard to increase IGFA membership in his home country. He wishes to continue to raise the profile of the IGFA in New Caledonia and promote the organization's mission and vision.
Christian Baujard
Born to a family of anglers, Christian Baujard has been engaged in the sport for more than 40 years. He founded the Caledonia Giant Trevally Association and has developed a club for young anglers to ensure the future of the sport. He has excellent rapport with local fishing clubs and fishing leaders in New Caledonia. Working with other passionate anglers, he undertakes many initiatives to promote the IGFA to the general public. He also assists in a New Caledonia fishing derby to promote the IGFA's angling rules locally.
NEW ZEALAND
Bob Gutsell
Bob's passion for fishing ignited at the age of two when he caught his first fish in New Zealand. From local waters to international destinations, he continues to live out this passion more than 50 years later. Beyond personal enjoyment, Bob is dedicated to building fishing communities, especially through fishing clubs, to nurture the next generation's love for angling.
As a board member of the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council (NZSFC) since 2012 and NZSFC President from 2018 to September 2022, Bob chaired the board and contributed to committees on fisheries advocacy, angler recognition matters, and finance. Currently, he plays a crucial role on the Rules and Recognition Committee of the IGFA Oceania Regional Council. A founding member of the Waikato Sport Fishing Club 35 years ago, Bob returned in 2008, serving as president for six years and continuing as a general committee member. An advocate for line class sport fishing for over 40 years, he consistently promotes IGFA line class sport fishing in regional club and NZSFC capacities. In his 40-year professional career, Bob held diverse roles in engineering, quality control, new product development, and operations management. Currently, he serves as a Business Unit Manager for a packaging manufacturer in Hamilton, New Zealand. As a chartering member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors, Bob holds several not-for-profit board roles.
Rex Pyne
Richard J. Baker
Auckland, North Island, New Zealand
Richard's lifelong passion has revolved around fishing. Serving as a delegate for the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council for 34 years, he held positions like Vice President from 2000 to 2007 and President from 2008 to 2011, becoming the Council's youngest lifetime member. He remains a vital part of the Council as a co-opted board member.
Additionally, Richard actively contributes to the NZSFC Fisheries Management Committee and the Council's public education arm, Legasea. He also serves as a Trustee of the NZ Marine Research Foundation. Representing New Zealand as an International Game Fish Association representative since 2000, Richard underscores his commitment to the sport and broader conservation endeavors.
Scott Tindale
Auckland, New Zealand
Scott Tindale is a trustee at the White Shark Conservation Trust and works as an official in other sport fishing organizations. He has contributed to over 100 scientific marine research studies and his conservation efforts have been recognized by the New Zealand Ministry of Fisheries with several conservation awards. An avid angler and IGFA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Tindale has over 300 New Zealand records and set more than 100 IGFA world records. Tindale is a big promoter of the IGFA rules and often uses his many platforms to educate fellow anglers on ethical fishing practices and conservation.
Gerald A. Garrett
Northland, New Zealand
Gerald Garrett has been an avid angler since 1946-- encouraged by his family who were members of the famed Tuna Club of Santa Catalina Island. Garrett would later become a distinguished member of the club through numerous angling achievements. Garrett has been an IGFA member for nearly 50 years and has worked extensively to promote IGFA angling rules and game fish conservation in New Zealand.
Mark Hemingway
Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
Mark Hemingway is proud to be an IGFA Representative working for the welfare of fish through conservation. He strives to help fishing clubs and anglers in New Zealand with world-record applications, rulemaking, youth angler education, fisheries management, and conservation initiatives.
Tony Hill
Whakatane, North Island, New Zealand
Jeff Romeril
Auckland, New Zealand
Jeff Romeril has chaired the New Zealand Marine Research Foundation since 2004. He is a former president and lifetime member of the New Zealand Sports Fishing Council. Romeril's passion for the sport has led him to participate in various fishing tournaments. As an IGFA Representative, Romeril is committed to the promotion of the sport and ensuring its future through science-based conservation initiatives.
Peter Saul
Peter Saul is a past president of New Zealand's Whangarei Deep Sea Anglers Club. After working 25 years for the New Zealand Ministry of Fisheries, he is now a co-director of Blue Water Marine Research-- a consultancy that performs sport fishing research. Saul has participated in many game fish projects--including satellite tagging of striped marlin, swordfish and Pacific bluefin tuna. He's been an executive with the NZ Sport Fishing Council since 2006 and has helped to prepare more than 60 world record applications for New Zealand anglers.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Robert O'Dea
Boroko, Papua New Guinea
Fishing for more than 65 years in rivers, lakes, surf and blue water, Robert O'Dea became interested in competitive fishing about 30 years ago. He served as president and tournament director of Papua, New Guinea's Port Moresby Game Fishing Club (PMGFC) since 1996, and currently is a committeeman. As president, O'Dea helped formalize a set of rules to be used during the National Game Fishing Titles, created effective tag-and-release rules, strengthened individual clubs, and attended many billfish symposia. O'Dea has done much to boost IGFA membership in Papua, New Guinea and was responsible for the Papuan black bass' being approved as a line-class record fish.
Daniel King
Daniel King is passionate about all forms of fishing and regularly targets sport fish on ultra-light tackle. He also loves targeting billfish and other pelagic species. Since his appointment as Representative to the IGFA, he has educated members of his fishing club about angling techniques, conservation, and IGFA rules and ethics. He believes anglers are now far more aware of the importance of proper handling of fish during release to reduce cryptic mortality.
TONGA
Steve Campbell
Neiafu, Vava'u, Tonga
Steve Campbell has worked as a captain in New Zealand and South Pacific waters since 1998 and has been based in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga since June 2000. He was president of both the Vava'u Sport Fishing Club and Tonga International Game Fish Association. Campbell wrote "Blue Marlin Magic"-- one of the most authoritative books ever written on blue marlin fishing. He represents recreational anglers' interests at the government level and has been an active participant in establishing Tonga's first Strategic 5-year Management Plan for the Sport Fishing Industry. Campbell advocates for eliminating the commercial sale of billfish species.