Member Updates are periodic information
sources for members of the American Sportfishing Association and
partners on issues of interest to the future of fishing. For more
information, contact ASA
Communications,
703.519.9691.
August 2005 Member Update
This is a partial list of the topics covered in this
update. Please scroll down for the complete document. ASA Member
Updates are available in the ASA Newsroom.
2005 Sportfishing Summit Details
ICAST 2005 Highlights on the Web
Planning for ICAST 2006
Welcome New Members!
Policy Watch—Government Affairs Update
Future Fisherman Foundation Update
FishAmerica Foundation Update
Message from ASA President and CEO Mike Nussman
2005 Sportfishing Summit, October 5–7, Key Largo, FL
The Sportfishing Summit is one of ASA’s premiere member
services providing an unparalleled opportunity for members to network
and have an impact on the future of fishing. Registration materials for
this year’s Sportfishing Summit, scheduled for October 5–7,
2005, at the Ocean Reef Club, Key Largo, Florida, were mailed in mid-August
and are available on ASA’s
Web site. ASA has developed a full agenda that will focus on angling
participation, the manufacturers’ excise tax, and the future of
saltwater fishing. The two Thursday morning business seminars will focus
on the business culture of China and the efforts ASA is making to expand
its data and statistics program to provide more information for ASA members.
ASA’s committees and the Board of Directors will meet on Wednesday,
October 5, with all ASA members and Summit attendees welcome to attend.
As usual, the agenda has ample time for social gatherings, fishing and
golf and other networking opportunities. For more information, visit ASA’s
Web site or contact Mary
Jane Williamson, x227.
Summit Housing Reservations—Deadline September 7
Please note that in order to receive the special ASA Summit group
rate, reservations must be made by September 7. You may fax your housing
form directly to the Club at 305.367.5948 or call them directly at
800.741.7333 to make reservations.
ASA Committees and Board to Meet at Summit
Much of the work of the association is accomplished with the guidance
of ASA’s members through its ten committees and the Board of Directors.
ASA’s committees are scheduled to meet throughout the day on Wednesday,
October 5, with the Board meeting on Thursday morning, Oct. 6. The complete ASA
Committee schedule is available on ASA’s Web site. All ASA
members and Summit attendees are encouraged to attend the Committee meetings.
First-ever Summit Spouses Breakfast
This year, ASA has planned a special event for spouses attending
the Summit. On Wednesday, morning, Oct. 5, beginning at 9:00 a.m., spouses
are invited to attend a breakfast hosted by “The Bachelor” and
professional bass angler, Byron Velvick. If you haven’t already
done so, please let us know if you’re planning to attend by indicating
so on the Summit
Registration form, available on ASA’s Web site, and faxing
it to ASA at 703.519.1872.
ICAST 2005 Highlights
on the Web
ASA thanks its members and the more than 6,700 representatives
of the sportfishing industry who made ICAST 2005 the best and largest
show in recent years. Highlights
of ICAST 2005 are available on the Web site. For more information,
contact Maria
del Valle, x240.
Planning for ICAST 2006
ICAST 2005 may have left the building, but not for long! Las Vegas
has yet to cool down, but plans for ICAST 2006 are already heating
up. For each of the past four years, ICAST has sold out earlier than
the year before. Mark your calendars and reserve your booth(s) now
to ensure your business is front and center for nearly 2,000 buyers
nationwide. As of now, more than 70 percent of the planned show floor
for ICAST 2006 in Las Vegas (July 19–21) is already booked. ICAST
2005 exhibitors who have submitted their application with a 50 percent
deposit will have first option on space for ICAST 2006, based on seniority,
until September 15, 2005. After this date, space will be assigned in
the order the applications are received. Contracts will not be processed
until a deposit is received. Please note, a booth lottery was held
during ICAST 2005 for companies purchasing 10 or more booths. Exhibit
space contracts are available on ASA’s Web site along with
the 2006
Show Floor Plan. For the most up-to-date ICAST 2006 information,
contact ICAST Director Maria
del Valle, x240 or ICAST Coordinator Kelly
Camirand, x231.
ICAST 2005 Registration Lists
As a member benefit for exhibitors only, final registration lists for
ICAST 2005 were mailed in late August. Exhibitors may also order electronic
lists for $300 from Expo Exchange, our registration contractor, by calling
301-662-9400 and using show code SFE041. For more information, contact Kelly
Camirand, x231.
Welcome New Members!
ASA welcome these new members or members who reinstated their membership in
July: Baseline Sports, Inc.; Catfish Grabblers; FisherGirl, Inc.; FishFlo2
Company; Hastings Rod Manufacturing LLC; Hill Country S.G. Sales; Jack Freeman;
Jim Korth Agency, Ltd.; Kick'n Bass; MacDaddy's Fishing Lures, Inc.; The Menninger
Corporation; Mid-America Sport Sales; Ningbo Haibo Machinery Co., Ltd.; Operation
Bass dba FLW Outdoors; Outdoor Adventure Kids, Inc.; Paramount Apparel International;
Polycryl Corporation; Roger's Products, Inc.; Ultimate Creations; Xtreme Marketing;
and Zaklad Produkcji Obuwia/Lemigo.
Policy Watch—Government
Affairs Update
For more information on ASA Government Affairs activities, contact Gordon
Robertson, VP and Government Affairs lead, x237 or Carol
Forthman, director, Ocean Resource Policy, x244.
Wallop-Breaux Reauthorization Passes Congress
After close to two years of Congressional action and three years
of strategic planning and consensus building by leading angling and boating
organizations, the most significant legislation for sportfishing and
boating since 1984 was signed into law by President Bush on August 10,
2005. Gordon Robertson, ASA vice president, worked closely with key House
and Senate members and their staffs as well as other organizations over
the past three years to develop the final language of the Wallop-Breaux
Reauthorization, now the Sport
Fish Restoration and Boating Act, which passed Congress on July 29,
2005. For more information, contact Gordon
Robertson, x237.
ASA GA Freshwater Subcommittee Meets
Six members of the Government Affairs Freshwater Subcommittee
and key ASA staff met in August in Cody, Wyoming. The group discussed,
among other things, the recent Wallop-Breaux reauthorization, excise
taxes, Department of the Interior appropriations, salmon issues in
the Northwest, the 2007 Farm Bill, invasive species legislation, the
USDA Forest Service review and the issues surrounding several proposed
lead tackle bans. Committee members heard a presentation from
The Trust for Public Land on projects taking place in the northern
Rockies and worked towards drafting a new ASA PAC plan to be discussed
at the 2005 Sportfishing Summit in October. ASA extends its thanks
to Bob Model for hosting ASA on his Wyoming ranch.
ASA Attends Midwest Meeting
ASA attended the annual Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Directors’ meeting
in Huron, Ohio where discussion centered on pending fishery legislative issues
and assistance with Wallop-Breaux reauthorization.
TRCP Policy Board
ASA, as a member of the Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
(TRCP), participated in a meeting of the Policy Board. The Policy
Board determines the initiatives that TRCP will pursue and the parameters
of those initiatives. Updates on ongoing initiatives were presented,
including the Magnuson-Stevens Initiative in which ASA is actively
participating.
Meeting with EPA Administrator
The Environmental Protection Agency's Assistant Administrator
for Water Programs, Ben Grumbles, held a meeting on August 4th in which
ASA participated. One topic at the meeting included mercury contamination
in fish and wildlife. Mr. Grumbles expects a report on EPA's
guidelines for addressing mercury contamination in the near future
and asked that ASA meet with him and his staff to discuss the report
after it is issued.
Magnuson-Stevens Act Draft Circulated
Staff from the Senate Commerce Committee, chaired by Senator Stevens
(R-AK), circulated a working draft of the Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization. ASA
and other interest groups met with staff on August 25 to discuss the
draft. ASA will also be submitting written comments on
the draft. The Bush Administration’s bill is expected
to be rolled out in mid-September.
Hooked On Fishing–Not
On Drugs® Facilitator Training Workshop
From August 2 to 4, 2005 in Park City, Utah, 11 state teams from OK,
IN, NV, KY, ME, DC, MI, CT, OH, SC, and UT were trained to become Hooked
On Fishing–Not On Drugs® (HOFNOD) facilitators. These new
HOFNOD facilitators will return to their respective states and train
hundreds of adults as HOFNOD instructors to use the program in their
local communities. This workshop was funded by a U.S. Fish & Wildlife
multi-state grant and co-hosted by the Future Fisherman Foundation
and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. If you would like additional
information or program evaluation data, contact Laura
Jerome, x254.
National PE Grants Initiative Update
The 34 recipients of the 2005/2006 PE Grant were trained during
a required workshop held July 17-21 in Bayou Segnette Park in Louisiana.
Instruction focused on grantee responsibilities and requirements; boating
and fishing techniques; conservation; and utilizing the multiple resources
of state resource agencies, industry, national and state fishing/conservation
organizations. The recipients are from AL, AZ, CA, CO, FL, ID, IL, LA,
MI, MN, NE, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, SD, VA, and WI. Grant recipients funded
by this program not total 111 from 37 states. This program is funded
by the Recreational Fishing and Boating Foundation (RBFF) and administered
by the Future Fisherman Foundation. For additional information, contact Jesse
Graytock, x224.
Members Support the Foundations at ICAST
The FishAmerica and Future Fisherman Foundations received a total
of $12,000 from ASA members through ICAST 2005 meeting room donations. ASA
members donate $200 per meeting room per day during the show. The donations
are divided equally between the FishAmerica and Future Fisherman Foundations.
“It’s My World” Wristbands Available
on the Web
The “It’s My World” wristbands are available
on the FishAmerica Foundation Web
site. Support the foundation’s conservation efforts through
the wristband campaign. For more information, contact Johanna
Laderman, x245.
Message from ASA President and
CEO Mike Nussman
It’s the end of August and we’re all looking forward
to Labor Day, the last holiday of the summer. The summer of 2005 was
a good one for the sportfishing and boating community with the success
of ICAST and the reauthorization of Wallop-Breaux, the most significant
legislation for sportfishing and boating since 1984.
The centerpiece of the legislation is the successful capture of the
federal fuel tax on motorboats and small engines, approximately $110
million, which will boost funding revenues for the new Sport Fish Restoration
and Boating Fund to approximately $570 million per year for important
angling and boating programs such as fisheries conservation and restoration;
fishing and boating access such as docks, piers, and boat ramps; and
education and safety programs for anglers and boaters. In addition,
the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation will receive $12 million
per year over the next four years. This will provide a major boost
for the “Take Me Fishing” campaign. The significance of
this should not be lost on anyone in the sportfishing and boating communities
and I’m very proud of the key role that ASA played in seeing
this legislation pass.
But, we aren’t ones to rest on our laurels. The 2005 Sportfishing
Summit is quickly approaching. We have a great agenda planned for this
year’s meeting and I, and the other members of the ASA staff,
am looking forward to being your hosts during the first week of October
at the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo.
I truly do mean that we are your hosts. The Sportfishing Summit is
your meeting. No where else in the industry or in the broader sportfishing
community for that matter, can manufacturers come together with peers
and partners to hear about and discuss the most pressing issues facing
our business. In the day-to-day business world, we all tend to focus
on the crisis of the day or the bottom line sales for the week or any
number of other issues specific to our organization. But, whether it’s
in one of the general sessions or in the hospitality suite, I guarantee
that you will hear information that is of value to your business and
your bottom line.
If you haven’t already registered for the meeting, I encourage
you to do so. Enjoy your Labor Day weekend and I’ll see you in
October.
