August 2006 American Sportfishing Association Member Update
Member Updates are e-mailed monthly to members of the American Sportfishing Association and our partners on issues of interest to the future of fishing. For more information, contact ASA Communications, 703.519.9691.
BELOW IS A LIST OF TOPICS IN THIS UPDATE. Please scroll down for the complete document. Previous ASA Member Updates are available in the ASA Newsroom.
Each month, ASA e-mails an update on its Government Affairs activities called Policy Watch. These documents can be found in the Government Affairs section of ASA’s Web site.
2006 Sportfishing Summit
ASA Committee Assignments
ASA Calls for Action in Support of Klamath River Dam Removal
Support Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization
ICAST 2006 Highlights on the Web
Planning for ICAST 2007
Welcome New Members!
ASA Staff Changes
FishAmerica Foundation Updates
Future Fisherman Foundation Updates
Message from ASA President and CEO
Mike Nussman
2006 Sportfishing Summit—October 18-20, San Diego, California
The 2006 Sportfishing Summit, the sportfishing industry’s premier networking and business management event, is only two months away. Registration materials were sent via U.S. mail on August 23, but why wait? Everything you need to register for the 2006 Sportfishing Summit is posted on ASA’s Web site. You can also download a detailed agenda, meeting registration form, housing form and information on sponsorship opportunities. Housing registration is also available on Paradise Point Resort & Spa’s Web site. The deadline for pre-registration and the discounted group housing rate is September 18, so don’t delay. For more information on the Summit, contact Mary Jane Williamson, x227.
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2006 Summit Agenda Highlights
If you missed Larry Steinmetz, Ph.D., president, High Yield Management, Inc., at the 2006 ICAST Industry Breakfast, this is your second chance to see him at the Summit. Steinmetz is a dynamic speaker and when he says he’ll have you thinking smarter about prices and profits; he means it. China expert Ted Fishman will present a keynote address on the effects of China’s rapid emergence as a world power. A panel of sportfishing industry experts will discuss doing business in a global economy, and some of the most influential names in outdoor journalism will provide insight into issues surrounding marine protected areas.
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2006 Sportfishing Summit Sponsorship Opportunities
The 2006 Sportfishing Summit is an excellent way to show support for the sportfishing industry. All sponsorships include appropriate recognition including onsite signage and recognition in the Summit program, ASA’s newsletter American Sportfishing and on our Web site. For more information, contact Mary Jane Williamson, 703-519-9691, x227.
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ASA Committee Assignments
Members who submitted their preferences for committee postings will soon be receiving their assignments. All ASA members are encouraged to attend the Summit and participate in the committee meetings in order to better understand how ASA staff and your colleagues work on your behalf. All committees will meet on Wednesday, October 18, at Paradise Point Resort & Spa. For a detailed schedule of committee meetings, visit ASA’s Web site to download a detailed agenda. For information on committees, contact Joyce Anderson-Logan, x233.
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ASA Calls for Action in Support of Klamath River Dam Removal
For the first time in fifty years, the opportunity to help restore the Klamath River salmon populations is possible. ASA is actively participating in the effort to decommission and remove the four most seaward dams on the Klamath River. ASA is asking its members to join forces in this effort by sending letters to Berkshire-Hathaway, owner of PacificCorp, who owns the dams, as well as your Members of Congress asking them to support an equitable settlement that removes the four dams and restores the salmon fishery. For more information on this important issue, please visit ASA’s Web site or contact Gordon Robertson, x237.
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Support Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization
Please send letters to your Member(s) of the House of Representatives to support passage of the House Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act bill (HR 5018), the principal law for managing fisheries in the United States. The act has not been reauthorized in ten years and includes important, and crucial, provisions for recreational fishing. The Senate bill has passed, but the House version of the Act has not yet been voted on by the full House of Representatives. Provisions supported by ASA and other conservation and sportfishing groups have been added that will significantly help the future of sportfishing. For more information on this important issue, please visit ASA’s Web site or contact Gordon Robertson, x237.
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ICAST 2006 Highlights on the Web
ASA thanks its members, sponsors and the more than 7,000 representatives of the sportfishing industry who made ICAST 2006 the best and largest show in recent years. Highlights of ICAST 2006 are available on ASA’s Web site.
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Planning for ICAST 2007
ICAST 2007, scheduled for July 11-13 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, is the 50-year anniversary for the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades. You will not want to miss this momentous year for ICAST. All of the information regarding exhibiting at ICAST 2007 is available on ICAST’s Web site including the 2007 show floor plan and the 2007 ICAST Exhibitor Space Contract.
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Welcome New Members!
ASA welcomes these new members or members who reinstated their membership in July and August: Apparel Specialists, Inc., Maple Valley, WA; Bettlarr Industries, Longview, WA; Characters Unlimited Inc., Boulder City, NV; Corporate Products, LLC, Columbus, GA; Cosimex, Inc., Koliloon, Hong Kong; Hanbo Fishing Hook Company, Busan, Korea; J.union Tech (Dongguan) Co., Ltd., Dongguan City, Guangdong, China; KeelShield Inc., East Peoria, IL; Kencor Sports, Inc., Santa Fe Springs, CA; Lake Resources Group LLC, Waunakee, WI; LakeMaster Lake Maps, Little Falls, MN; Lip Ripperz, Walnut, CA; Mustang Company, Port Richey, FL; Mustang Survival, Inc., Bellingham, WA; Old Harbor Outfitters, LLC, Fairfield, CT; Rivendell, LLC, Earlyville, VA; Sportsman's Connection, Lake Elmo, MN; Struble Manufacturing Company, Portland, OR; SUPACAM, Irvine, CA; T-H Marine Supplies, Inc., Huntsville, AL; The Fish Sniffer, Elk Grove, CA; Tote-um-Gear, Inc., Huntsville, AL; Tournament Fish Care Products, McQueeney, TX; Triple Crown Outdoor, Glen Lyon, PA; Weihai Langbao Fishing Tackle Co., Ltd., Weihai, China; Wolverine Tackle Co., Inc., Orchard Lake, MI; H & H Sales and Marketing, Charleston, SC; Tifosi Optics, Inc., Watkinsville, GA; and Wellman Sports Marketing, Plymouth, MN.
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ASA Staff Changes
John Bryan, ASA’s Foundations Chief Philanthropy Officer, departs ASA at the end of August after nearly three years with the association. ASA wishes John all the best in his future endeavors. In August, Anne Danielski joined ASA as the Future Fisherman Foundation’s National Program Coordinator. Danielski has seven years experience in aquatic education program design, most recently having worked as an education specialist with the Pennsylvania Sea Grant Program. She will coordinate the Hooked On Fishing–Not On Drugs (HOFNOD)® activities and efforts with the foundation’s new partnership with U.S. Department of Justice Law Enforcement’s Youth Partnerships for Crime Prevention. Anne’s contact information is adanielski@asafishing.org, x254.
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FishAmerica Foundation Updates
To help FishAmerica keep our nation’s fish and waters healthy, contact Director Johanna Laderman, x245.
FishAmerica Launches E-Commerce Site
FishAmerica is pleased to announce the launch of its new e-commerce site. Consumers can now purchase the Operation FISH ball cap, the “It’s My World” wristband and make online contributions to support the work of the Foundation. Please visit www.fishamerica.org and click on eStore.
FishAmerica Expands Support of Coldwater Fisheries Restoration
FishAmerica formed a new partnership with Trout Unlimited to restore and enhance coldwater fisheries and their habitats through the creation of innovative partnerships involving industry, local communities and citizens. The partnership will support Trout Unlimited’s Embrace-A-Stream program which helps to conserve coldwater fisheries through innovative grassroots conservation projects based on sound science, benefiting the resource, strengthening the local Trout Unlimited chapter and council and helping to build a constituency for protecting trout and salmon.
Wal-Mart FLW Championship
FishAmerica staff attended the Wal-Mart FLW Championship on Logan Martin Lake, Birmingham, Ala. FishAmerica raised $500 through sales of the “It’s My World” wristbands. A $10,500 grant, including proceeds from wristband sales, a $5,000 donation on behalf of the National Guard and the year’s leading pro angler and a $5,000 donation from FLW Outdoors will be awarded to Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries to renovate the Marion State Fish Hatchery, which rears Florida-strain largemouth bass to stock Logan Martin Lake and other local waters. In addition to the more than $50,000 donated this year to tournament waters, FLW Outdoors sponsored a silent auction during the Boat and Outdoor Show. Fourteen pro angler-signed jerseys raised more than $1,500 for FishAmerica.
FishAmerica Contributors
The foundation thanks the following ASA members for their recent donations to the FishAmerica Foundation: Corporate Products, LLC; FLW Outdoors; Marine Metal Products; and Supacam. Fifty-four ASA members and 60 other donors have given more $155,000 to FishAmerica through direct donations, FishAmerica Gulf Fund donations, licensed-product sales, tournament partnerships and endowment donations.
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Future Fisherman Foundation Updates
For more information on Future Fisherman activities, contact Executive Director Anne Danielski, x254.
Foundation Partners with DOJ
The Future Fisherman Foundation was named a National Partner Organization with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). The Foundation will present fishing as a community tool to help prevent youth crime at the Law Enforcement and Youth Partnerships for Crime Prevention 2006 National Conference, to be held October 1-3, in Washington D.C. Representatives from 160 different communities nationwide are slated to attend and will be invited by the Foundation to begin fishing programs in their communities.
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Message from ASA President and CEO Mike Nussman
“A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!” How many times have you heard that and quickly dismissed it as marketing fluff or exaggeration? Probably more times than you care to count, however, there is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity now before the sportfishing and conservation community that demands our attention and support.
For the first time in fifty years, this nation has the opportunity to restore a treasured natural resource. In August, ASA along with 11 other national conservation and sportfishing groups and community-based angler groups launched an effort to restore the salmon populations in the Klamath River which are now in a state of collapse. We are asking that federal, state and private industry work together to decommission and remove the four most seaward dams on the Klamath River whose 50-year Federal Energy Regulatory Commission licenses are now up for renewal.
To meet the requirements of environmental law, fish passage modifications will be required as a condition of renewal. Even with these expensive measures, the free run of the river will not be restored. A better solution would be a settlement in which PacifiCorp, the electric company that owns the dams, and both the states and the federal government can agree to decommission the dams and use this opportunity to turn around this disastrous situation and restore over 300 miles of this great river system.
I hope you understand the significance of this effort and the impact it will have on the people who love to salmon fish and to our industry which supports them. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we need your support.
Another opportunity that demands our attention is the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (HR 5018), the principal law for managing fisheries in the United States. Before Congress departed Capitol Hill for the August recess, they took no action on passing the reauthorization of this much-needed bill.
The act has not been reauthorized in ten years and includes important, and crucial, provisions for recreational fishing. ASA and its partners have been working with Congress over the past 18 months, and we are pleased with the bill as it currently stands, however, there is very little time left in the 109th Congress to have this bill reauthorized. We are continuing to ask you, our members, to contact your U.S. Representative and voice your support for H.R. 5018.
Please use the ASA Web site to obtain contact information for your Members of Congress and other information on both the Klamath River and Magnuson-Stevens Act reauthorization. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me or Gordon Robertson, ASA’s Vice President, and lead for Government Affairs.
Frankly, there is no better forum in which to discuss the issues before the sportfishing industry than at the 2006 Sportfishing Summit being held October 18–20, in San Diego. We have a great agenda planned for this year’s Summit. It may not be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but it is the best opportunity in the sportfishing industry to network and hear the latest on issues that affect your business.
I know that attending the Summit is an investment of time and resources. For some of our retail and smaller manufacturing members, time away from your business can be difficult, but I assure you, there is no better investment in the future of your business. We develop an agenda, with input from our members and the Board, to specifically address some of the issues that “keep our members up at night.”
Please lend your support to our Klamath River and Magnuson-Stevens efforts, and I’ll see you at the Summit. Have a safe and happy Labor Day.
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