2010 Sportfishing Summit Brings Industry Leaders
Together
Sportfishing industry leaders representing
more than 100 companies
and organizations throughout the
United States and Canada gathered
October 26–28, in Fort Lauderdale,
Fla., for the American Sportfishing
Association’s (ASA) annual business
meeting, the 2010 Sportfishing
Summit. This year’s Summit focused
on the domestic and international
economic markets, fisheries resource
management, advocacy and the political
forces impacting the industry.
“Our Summit is the one time
each year that the sportfishing
industry comes together as peers and
collaborators to focus efforts on the
most pressing industry challenges and
explore avenues for addressing them,”
said Mike Nussman, ASA president
and CEO.
Unanimous Support for
KeepAmericaFishing™
During the three day meeting,
ASA’s members unanimously supported
ASA’s efforts to engage
individual anglers in advocating for
recreational fishing’s future through
KeepAmericaFishing™ which has grown and expanded over the past
four years to become “the voice of the
American angler.”
“The membership’s decision to support
KeepAmericaFishing reinforces
how important individual anglers are to our collective future and sends
a strong message about the resolve
and dedication of this industry,” said
Jeff Marble, CEO, Frabill, Inc., and
ASA’s Board of Directors chairman. “Launching an angler advocacy brand
is a much-needed critical step towards
ensuring that our public waters
remain open, clean and abundant
with fish.”
The administration also showed
its support of recreational fishing
with keynote addresses by Assistant
Secretary of the Interior for Fish,
Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland
who addressed recreational fishing participation, access issues and the new
America’s Great Outdoors initiative.
Eric Schwaab, assistant administrator
for Fisheries, National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration’s
(NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service, provided
an update on NOAA
Fisheries’ efforts to address
the industry’s concerns regarding marine fisheries
management.
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Bob Hayes
Lifetime Achievement Award |
 |
Burt Steinberg
ASA Member Emeritus |
Special Recognition
During the association’s
annual dinner, ASA presented
two awards: a special
award to former ASA Board of Directors Chairman
Burt Steinberg (formerly of
American Rod and Gun),
and the Norville Prosser
Lifetime Achievement
Award to recognize significant
contributions to
sportfishing. The association’s
Lifetime Achievement
Award was presented to
Robert Hayes, general counsel for
ASA and the Coastal Conservation
Association, for his extraordinary
leadership in promoting the values of
sportfishing and advancing cooperative
approaches to conservation and
recreation.
“There are few contemporary
marine conservation victories in which
Bob Hayes did not play a significant role,” said Nussman. “Bob’s humble
nature and earnest desire for results
before his own need for recognition
have kept him out of the limelight, but
I assure you, no one is more deserving
of this award than Bob Hayes.”
This past July, the ASA’s board of
directors passed a special resolution
recognizing Burt Steinberg’s leadership
of the association and the sportfishing
industry by awarding him Member
Emeritus status.
“Burt Steinberg is a pillar of this
industry, mentoring innumerable people
along their career paths and unselfishly
giving of his time and energy to
ensure recreational fishing’s
future,” stated Nussman. “Many people in the industry,
me included, owe Burt
our gratitude and thanks for
everything he has done and
stood for over the past five
decades.”
During the Summit,
ASA’s board of directors
also elected officers:
Chairman—Jeff Marble,
CEO, Frabill, Inc.; Vice
Chairman—Gregg Wollner,
Executive Vice President;
Secretary—Dave Bulthuis,
Vice President, Sales,
Costa; Treasurer—Peter
Foley, President, Boone Bait
Company; and Immediate
Past Chairman—Jeff
Pontius, President,
ZEBCO Brands.
Thank You, Sponsors
ASA would especially like to thank
the 2010 Summit sponsors for their
support: Gold—Frabill, Inc., NOAA’s
National Marine Fisheries Service,
Take Me Fishing™, the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service and the U.S.
Geological Survey; Silver—U.S.
Forest Service, Bass Pro Shops and the
International Game Fish Association;
and Bronze—Association of Fish
and Wildlife Agencies and Maui Jim
Sunglasses.
The 2011 Sportfishing Summit is
scheduled for October 12–14, at the
Loews New Orleans Hotel in New Orleans, La.
.
