Sportfishing Champions Honored At Capitol Hill Reception
Celebrating National Fishing and Boating Week
by
Mary Jane Williamson
June 13, 2005—WASHINGTON, D.C.—On June 7, 2005, the
American Sportfishing Association presented its most prestigious honors to
two life-long sportfishing advocates during an evening reception at the Dirksen
Senate office building on Capitol Hill, as part of the association”s National
Fishing and Boating Week celebrations.
Jerry Gibbs, fishing editor of Outdoor
Life magazine, was honored with the Norville Prosser Lifetime Achievement
Award, and Gary Loomis, founder of G. Loomis Rods, received
the Future of Fishing Award.
“These two gentlemen are true champions for
the sportfishing community. Their numerous contributions over the years
have played a tremendous role in the shaping of sportfishing in America
and we wanted to recognize that fact,’ said Mike Nussman,
president and CEO of the American Sportfishing Association.
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Photo: From left, ASA President and CEO Mike Nussman, Outdoor
Life Fishing Editor Jerry Gibbs, G. Loomis Rods founder
Gary Loomis, and ASA Board of Directors Chairman David Pfeiffer.
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The Norville Prosser
Lifetime Achievement Award, named after the American Sportfishing Association’s
former Vice President for Government Affairs, is presented for extraordinary
contributions to fisheries conservation and the advancement of sportfishing
in America. The Future of Fishing Award pays tribute to those who design
new approaches to expand fishing participation. Both awards are given
annually as part of the Association’s activities highlighting the
social, economic and conservation values of sportfishing during the
National Fishing and Boating Week observance, taking place nationwide June
4-12.
Jerry Gibbs,
one of Field & Stream’s 50 legends of fishing and fishing
editor of Outdoor Life magazine for 32 years, was honored for his
many years of unwavering support and dedication to the overall fishing community.
“This award comes like one of those amazing, surprise tropical sunset
green flashes. That the more than 600 member American Sportfishing
Association thinks the job I’ve done deserves this kind of recognition
is pretty humbling. I only signed on to tell as many of our 44 million
anglers how great fishing is, and thats what I plan to continue doing, said Gibbs.
Over the course of his impressive
career, Gibbs, enshrined in the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame in 2000,
the organizations highest honor, has made
an innumerable amount of contributions to the sportfishing community. He
has co-authored technical fishing books as well as an award-winning collection
of short stories, Steel
Barbs, Wild Waters. His writings have won top honors from the Outdoor Writers
Association of America and he has received awards for excellence in craft
and service in the field of sportfishing from the U.S. tackle industry.
Additionally,
he served as a consultant to the fishing tackle industry and as a sportfishing
contributor to the Encyclopedia Britannica. He has appeared on
many nationally televised programs and produced a series of angling tips
for the Outdoor
Life Network.
Gary Loomis, highly regarded for his ingenuity and revolutionary
rod-making techniques, was honored for his impact on the sportfishing
industry and his innumerable contributions to the future of fishing. During
the late 1970s and early 80s, he spearheaded technological advances in graphite
rod production, raising the bar on rod technology throughout the sportfishing
industry. In 1982, Loomis launched his company becoming one of the most
successful rod makers in the United States before selling his company
to Shimano in 1995.
Im grateful for receiving this award from ASA and I
thank them for it, said
Loomis. But what's more important than any award is helping our fisheries.
We need to keep our native fish alive and change the harvest rules.
If we do nothing else, we must do this.
In 1995, Loomis launched Fish
First, a 600 member organization dedicated to restoring the dwindling
salmon runs in Lewis River (WA) tributaries. The organization?fs
successes have received attention from James Connaughton, chairman
of the Presidents
Council on Environmental Quality. Additionally, Loomis has won numerous
awards for his steadfast support of fishing, including being lauded
by President George W. Bush and receiving the Clark County Sammy Award
in 2001 for Fish Firsts significant contributions toward salmon recovery.
The American Sportfishing Association is the sportfishing industry’s
trade association, uniting more than 600 members of the sportfishing
and boating industries with state fish and wildlife agencies, federal land
and water management agencies, conservation organizations, angler advocacy
groups and outdoor journalists. The American Sportfishing Association safeguards
and promotes the enduring social, economic and conservation values of
sportfishing.
