Who: Through a cooperative effort between the FishAmerica Foundation, Octagon, and eBay, Inc., pro anglers Davy Hite, Mike Iaconelli, Takahiro Omori, and Kevin VanDam show their support by helping raise money for Gulf Coast Hurricane relief.
What: The Classic Angler Charity Auction with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the FishAmerica Gulf Fund.
When: January 16-26, 2006
Where: www.ebay.com/classicangler
Contact: For more information on the Classic Angler Charity Auction, please contact John Bryan, 804.356.9552. To arrange for interviews with the anglers please contact Bill Hart, 703.905.4314.
The Classic Angler Charity Auction
From January 16-26, 2006, eBay, The World's Online Marketplace®, will be hosting the Classic Angler Charity Auction to raise money for the FishAmerica Gulf Fund. The auction is designated as a “charity auction” by MissionFish of the Points of Light Foundation. The Classic Angler Charity Auction is an online auction unlike any other in history featuring items up for bid from four of the world’s greatest professional bass anglers. The items up for bid have been contributed by each of the Bassmaster Classic Champions and include a bass boat, a VIP tackle box, a day on the water, and a year of wearing a corporate patch from the company of the highest bidder.
The Classic Angler Charity Auction is being coordinated by Octagon, a global sports and entertainment marketing firm and managed by Kompolt, a highly regarded "go-to" online auction agency. A portion of the proceeds from the auction will benefit the FishAmerica Gulf Fund.
“I’m thrilled to be part of the Classic Angler Charity Auction benefiting the FishAmerica Gulf Fund,” said Mike Iaconelli. “The hurricanes this year were devastating to our waterways in the Gulf region and I’m happy to be able to help in this way. As a professional angler I earn my living on the great bodies of water here in the United States and thus this tragedy hit particularly close to home for me. I hope everyone will consider bidding on the great items Kevin, Davy, Tak and I have assembled.”
The auction’s pre-qualifying phase launches January 9, 2006—one week prior to the auction's official launch. Potential bidders should visit www.fishamerica.org for the link to the Bidder Pre-Qualification form. Pre-qualification insures that only genuine, qualified bidders enter the auction preventing inflated bid prices and bids from individuals who have no intention of winning (or paying). Once pre-qualified, bidders may participate in the Classic Angler Charity Auction beginning January 16th and are free to bid once the auction launches.
About the FishAmerica Gulf Fund
The FishAmerica Gulf Fund was created in response to the extreme devastation caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita to the United States Gulf Coast’s sportfish habitat and facilities. The FishAmerica Gulf Fund will provide funding to help restore critical sportfish habitat and facilities along the Gulf Coast. The foundation will work with state and federal natural resource agencies and community conservation groups to identify and prioritize projects like wetland creation and restoration, aquatic vegetation planting, rebuilding angler access, and reestablishing fish passage. Grants will be provided to local sportfishing clubs and conservation organizations to aid in their efforts to restore sportfish populations and their habitats and access to the resource.
By the Numbers: The Gulf Coast
According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s most recent survey and the American Sportfishing Association’s report, Sportfishing in America:
- Forty-five percent of United States marine anglers live along the Gulf Coast.
- Gulf Coast anglers spend $44.3 billion each year on marine recreational fishing.
- Sportfishing along the coasts of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas supports nearly 28,000 jobs with over $651 million in annual income.
- Sportfishing in the Gulf of Mexico represents nearly 40 percent of the total expenditures for U.S. marine sportfishing and nearly one-third of the 296,000 jobs dependent on saltwater angling.
The FishAmerica Foundation is the conservation and research foundation of the American Sportfishing Association. FishAmerica unites the sportfishing industry with conservation groups, government agencies, fishing tournaments, corporations and charitable foundations, investing in fisheries conservation and research across the country. FishAmerica provides matching grants that empower citizen conservationists in their own communities. Since 1983, FishAmerica has provided more than $8 million for more than 800 fisheries conservation and research projects nationwide.
