Preparations are underway for the nation’s largest all-cash king mackerel fishing tournament. The Hardee’s Atlantic Beach King Mackerel Tournament, now in its twenty-second year, is scheduled for September 7-10, 2000, at the Sea Water Marina on the Atlantic Beach Causeway.

This year, anglers may access a registration form for the tournament via the Internet by logging on to www.abkmt.com . Entry forms also may be obtained by calling Jannene at 1-800-545-3940, or by visiting sponsor locations. The deadline for early-bird registration is August 7, 2000, before midnight. The final deadline for registration is September 7, 2000 at 10 p.m.

The event will provide tournament anglers with 125 ways to win more than half a million dollars. Last year’s winner, John Wilkins and Team May-Craft of Raleigh, NC, was awarded $61,150 for his catch—a 53.6-pound king mackerel. The largest king mackerel ever caught in the Hardee’s tournament weighed 56.7 pounds, and that was in 1988.

Funds raised from this premier sporting event assist two non-profit organizations: the Atlantic Beach Volunteer Fire Department and the Carteret County Sportfishing Association’s Artificial Reef Fund. Throughout the years, this tournament has generated hundreds of thousand of dollars, and resulted in the purchase of life-saving equipment, rescue watercraft, a state-of-the-art training library and the construction of artificial reefs.

“We are proud to be a part of these efforts to improve our coastal communities,” said Tom Lewison, executive vice president of Hardee’s Food Systems, Inc. “It is indeed our pleasure to continue our longtime support of this event and to provide anglers with a weekend of fishing excitement, right here in Hardee’s home state.”

Hardee’s Food Systems, Inc., is based in Rocky Mount, NC, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of CKE Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:CKR) of Anaheim, Calif.