A premiere fishing event scheduled for Sept. 10 was cancelled in Plymouth due to a fish kill brought on by Hurricane Irene.

“It was not an order,” said Mark Fogle, president of the Southeast Regional Bass Federation. “We were just informed that there was a fish kill near the area, and we made our own decision not to come. The tournament was cancelled indefinitely, because it was our last one for the year.”

Plymouth hosts fishing events throughout the year. A Plymouth Events and Ramp Use Calendar has a tournament for American Bass Anglers scheduled on March 12 as its first event. The most recent event on the calendar was a Greenville Marine Tackle Tournament on Aug. 20. The town of Plymouth had made accommodations for 75 hotel rooms and 135 two-man boats were scheduled to be at the event.

Plymouth Mayor Brian Roth stressed the significance of fishing events for Plymouth’s economy.

“Those involved will stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants, and buy gas,” Roth said. “Some of these people will prepare by fishing ahead of time. We have had over 600 fishermen in Plymouth on a weekend for striped bass season. Other tournaments are catch and release.”

Roth mentioned that fish prizes total several thousand dollars as fishermen can keep their five largest fish. Points are subtracted if fish die.