December 2007 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.
Happy New Year from ASA
ICAST 2008—Sign Up for Exhibit Space Now!
Thank You ICAST 2008 Sponsors
New Sportfishing in America Report Available
ASA’s Board of Directors to Meet in March
Mamie Parker Retires from USFWS
ASA’s Consumer Shows Tour Kicks Off in February
Renew Your Membership Dues for 2008
Member Benefit Spotlight
ASA Welcomes New Members
FishAmerica Foundation Updates
Future Fisherman Foundation Update
Message from ASA President and CEO Mike Nussman
Happy New Year from ASA
The Board of Directors and staff of ASA wish all of you a happy and prosperous new year. We are excited to begin 2008 with fresh energy and ideas and, most of all, continuing to serve your needs in the best way possible. Here’s to another year of success in leading the way for fishing’s future!
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ICAST 2008—Sign Up for Exhibit Space Now!
ICAST 2008 is scheduled for July 16 – 18, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. As of December 21, 2007, 246 exhibitors have reserved 1,375 booths for ICAST 2008. With nearly 80 percent of the show floor sold, ICAST 2008 is on track to be the seventh consecutive sell-out year. Companies who want to exhibit at the world’s largest sportfishing industry expo should submit an exhibit space contract as soon as possible to ensure their business is front and center for 2,000 buyers and 350 members of the media worldwide. For more information or to reserve your exhibit space, please contact Kenneth Andres, x231.
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Thank You ICAST 2008 Sponsors
ASA would like to thank the members who have already signed up to sponsor at ICAST 2008. They are: Fishing Tackle Retailer; Crocodile Bay; In-Fisherman; and Saltwater Sportsman. There are many sponsorship opportunities still available. Sponsoring at ICAST is an effective way to increase exposure and visibility for your company; gain stand-alone recognition of your company and/or product name; drive sales by leveraging your exhibit space; and obtain access to 7,000 key industry players. For more information on sponsorships, please contact Kenneth Andres, x231.
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New Sportfishing in America Report Available
The updated version of Sportfishing in America is now available on ASA’s Web site. This report, based on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, provides information about angler numbers, annual days of fishing, sportfishing expenditures and their associated economic impacts. Breakouts are provided for freshwater, saltwater and Great Lakes fishing.
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ASA’s Board of Directors to Meet in March
The next meeting of ASA’s Board of Directors will be held on March 7, 2008, from 9:15 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., in Long Beach, Calif., in conjunction with the ASA/Fred Hall’s Fishing Tackle & Boat Show, March 5-9, 2008, at the Long Beach Convention Center. For more information, please contact Joyce Anderson-Logan, x233.
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Mamie Parker Retires from USFWS
Mamie Parker, Ph.D., U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Assistant Director for Fisheries and Habitat Conservation, recently retired from the USFWS. According to ASA Vice President Gordon Robertson it is rare that one meets and works with an individual like Mamie Parker who invested so much of herself in her job as both an advocate for her agency and for the resource. ASA wishes Dr. Parker all the best in her new endeavors.
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ASA’s Consumer Shows Tour Kicks Off in February
The ASA/Fred Hall’s Fishing Tackle, Boat & Travel Shows on the west coast and ASA’s three Eastern Fishing & Outdoor Exposition shows on the east coast are ready to kick off their 2008 show tours starting in February. For more information on the east coast shows, contact Jonathan Sauers, 603-431-4315. For more information on the west coast shows, contact Bart Hall, 805-389-3339. The 2008 ASA Consumer Shows Schedule is:
ASA’s Eastern Fishing & Outdoor Exposition 2008 Show Tour
Toyota Eastern Fishing & Outdoor Exposition
DCU Center
Worcester, Massachusetts
February 7-10
Toyota World Fishing & Outdoor Exposition
Rockland Community College Field House
Suffern, New York
February 28-March 2
The Toyota Saltwater Fishing Exposition
Garden State Exhibit Center
Somerset, New Jersey
March 14-16
ASA/Fred Hall & Associates 2008 Show Tour
Fred Hall’s Fishing Tackle & Boat Show
Long Beach Convention Center
Long Beach, California
March 5-9
Fred Hall’s Fishing Tackle & Boat Show
Del Mar Fairgrounds
San Diego, California
March 26-30
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Renew Your Membership Dues for 2008
If you have already renewed your 2008 ASA membership dues, we thank you for your continued commitment to the sportfishing industry’s trade association. If you have yet to renew your dues, you are welcome to call Membership Director Jill Calabria, x234, or Membership Services Manager Ann Sweeney, x241, to renew over the phone with a credit card. Please expect a second invoice in the coming weeks as a reminder.
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Member Benefit Spotlight–PartnerShip
PartnerShip LLC administers the ASA Discount Shipping Program, offering ASA members discounts up to 29 percent with FedEx and 58 percent with UPS Freight. With FedEx and UPS recently announcing rate increases for 2008, this program offers significant savings to ASA members on all your shipping needs. To enroll in the free program, please visit PartnerShip’s ASA Discount Shipping Program, or contact PartnerShip at 800-599-2902, or email sales@partnership.com. PartnerShip is just one of the many business service programs available exclusively for ASA members. For more information on ASA membership and its benefits, please contact Jill Calabria, x234.
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ASA Welcomes New Members
ASA welcomes new and returning members: FishGillz Sunglass Co., La Quinta, CA; McCoy Fishing Line, Lake Havasu City, AZ; New Donghui Fishing Tackle Co., Ltd., Beijing, China; Ningbo Jessn Ocean Exploitation Co., Ltd., Ningbo, China; Rhys Davis Limited, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada; Texas Fish & Game Magazine, Houston, TX; and Weihai Yuanwei Fishing Tackle Co., Ltd., Weihai, China.
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FishAmerica Foundation Updates
To help FishAmerica keep our nation’s fish and waters healthy, contact Executive Director Johanna Laderman, x245, or Grants Manager Erica George, x247. Donate to FishAmerica online!
FLW Outdoors Continues Partnership with FishAmerica
FLW Outdoors is once again partnering with the FishAmerica Foundation to keep our fish and waters healthy with their recent donation of $35,000. These funds will be used to enhance fisheries, restore habitat and improve water quality at lakes and streams fished on during last year’s FLW Tour. FishAmerica also continues to work with FLW Sponsor BP Castrol on the “It’s My World” wristbands, available for donations of $1.00 or more at the FishAmerica eStore. Since 2000, FLW has donated nearly $300,000 to the foundation, leveraging more than $2 million for local fisheries enhancement projects.
Deadline Approaching for Fish Habitat Restoration Proposals
The FishAmerica Foundation, in partnership with the NOAA Community-based Restoration Program is now accepting proposals for community-driven, on-the-ground projects to restore marine, estuarine and riparian habitats, including salt marshes, seagrass beds, mangrove forests and freshwater habitats important to anadromous fish species (fish like salmon and striped bass that migrate to and from the sea). Local sporting clubs are encouraged to apply for funding. Proposals are due by February 11, 2008, at 5:00 pm E.S.T. Interested organizations can find the application packet at www.fishamerica.org/grants.
Give the Gift of Healthy Fish and Waters
The holiday season may be behind us, but it’s always a good time to donate to the FishAmerica Foundation in honor of your favorite angler. Every dollar donated to FishAmerica helps keep our fish and waters healthy, ensuring the future of fishing for generations to come. Visit www.fishamerica.org/store for more details.
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Future Fisherman Foundation Updates
For more information on Future Fisherman activities, contact Executive Director Anne Danielski, x254, or Program Coordinator Jessie Moore, x224.
Foundation Board Appoints New Executive Director
The Future Fisherman Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Anne Danielski as the foundation’s new Executive director. Her appointment became effective December 7, 2007. Danielski possesses an extensive background in aquatic education program design, development and implementation. Danielski joined the foundation in August 2006, as National Program coordinator. She has been acting Executive director since September 2007.
Foundation Continues to Attract Local Boys & Girls Club Partners
The foundation’s Hooked On Fishing Not – On Drugs (HOFNOD)® program made a return appearance at the Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance Law Enforcement and Youth Partnerships for Crime Prevention Conference held December 10-11, 2007, in Washington, D.C. More than 200 community teams—over 800 people—attended the conference in search of drug and crime prevention programs to implement in local Boys & Girls Clubs across the U.S. More than 165 coordinators attended the HOFNOD workshop. In addition to the workshop, the foundation had an information booth for all attendees. Program efforts in 2007 included 10 Boys & Girls Clubs from seven states participating in the HOFNOD program. That number is expected to double in 2008.
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Message from ASA President and CEO Mike Nussman
Happy New Year! Many of you may not know this, but 2008 will mark the 75th anniversary of the formation of the sportfishing industry’s trade association. The organizational meeting of the Associated Fishing Tackle Manufacturers was held June 30, 1933, in Washington, D.C. Many companies that were in existence then are still in business today. In fact, we recognized a number of those companies in 2007 for their commitment to the industry as 50-year exhibitors at ICAST. Our industry has a long and distinguished history and we plan to recognize and honor that throughout 2008.
Regarding ASA shows and events, ICAST 2008, scheduled for July 16–18, at the Las Vegas Convention Center, once again is moving towards another sell-out show. Our 2008 Sportfishing Summit is set to take place October 29 – 31, at the San Luis Resort in Galveston, Texas. We continually seek to set the bar a little higher each year and I am confident that we will not only meet, but exceed the expectations of our members at both events.
We saw a significant win for us in 2007 with President Bush’s signing of the Executive Order establishing gamefish status for striped bass and red drum in federal waters. His action moved the effort to conserve two of the most popular game fish in the United States one more step forward. We worked with a number of organizations for years to see that this critical conservation measure came to be, and we applaud the President for his action.
We continue to look at retailers to grow our membership; not just for our benefit but for theirs’ as well. We believe that we can be a voice for the entire sportfishing community, from manufacturers to retailers, but it’s up to us to invite them in. We will continue to expand our membership to better represent every sector of the industry. In unity there is strength.
However, the conversations I’ve had with members and the 2006 survey results from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service indicate that we are facing a challenging sales environment. Members are telling me that the past year was less than the best in terms of overall sales. Although fishing remains one of the most popular outdoor sports in the country with 40 million anglers, we are clearly concerned about the numbers being reported in the survey which show a decline in participation over the past five years. As we move into 2008, we’ll continue to grapple with the ongoing challenges of expanding the marketplace and ensuring access to fishing.
The task of assuring that large areas of our coastal waters are not closed to sportfishing must be accomplished. This is simply the biggest challenge we’ve faced in recent decades. Marine closures must not occur without first exhausting all fishery management and gear measures and any closure must not be contemplated without sound science as the underpinning of the decision. ASA and its partners are active participants in California’s Marine Life Protection Act Initiative to ensure that the voices of the industry and those of recreational anglers are represented in that process. California is often a bell weather for what occurs in the rest of the country and it is crucial that we be successful in minimizing closures to marine recreational fishing.
However, that is what we are here to do. I believe that the most fundamental role of your association is to protect your long-term interests and to look out for you on policies that affect your business. Our job today is the same as it was 75 years ago - to look out for your business interests and ensure that the industry, the sport and your bottom line remain healthy and vibrant. I’m looking forward to working with you in 2008.
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