Camp R.O.C.K. 2019

July, 2019

To: Selected Media

For: Immediate Release

From: Doug Painter 

Painter.doug@yahoo.com 

 

ONE LAST CAST!

CCA Volunteers and Camp R.O.C.K Youngsters Both Learn Lessons at Fishing Outing

 

We typically think of outdoor education in terms of learning new skills, such as building a campfire or tying a fishing knot. Time spent outdoors, however, also has a way of instilling important personal attributes such as patience and perseverance, not to mention discovering how working together can make a big difference. 

These life lessons all came into play recently when more than two dozen youngsters attending SAFE Shelter’s Camp R.O.C.K (Recognizing Our Children’s Kreativity) joined volunteers from the Skidaway Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) at the Kid’s Lagoon for a morning of fishing. Camp R.O.C.K. is an eight week day camp for children staying in the shelter that combines education and summer fun.

After a quick orientation, CCA volunteers teamed up with a camper or two and spread out along the bank of the lagoon, everyone hoping to catch a few bluegill. Most all of these youngsters were new anglers, so learning to cast and working up the courage to hook on a worm (yuck!) were the starting points for most everyone. One of our volunteers, David Goslin, recounted his experience.

David was teamed up with a young girl named Kennedy who, with a little coaching, learned to cast with her Zebco rod and reel. When she forgot to release the reel’s button from time to time she turned to David and said, “I failed.” But she kept at it. 

It was a hot morning and the fishing was somewhat slow. Kennedy had not yet caught a fish. She would, however, run over to other kids and look at and admire the fish they caught. As the morning wore on Kennedy became increasingly disappointed. But she kept at it. “Around 11:00 am, I heard the counselor say it was time to go,” recalls David. 

Kennedy was now down to her last cast. It was a good one and almost immediately the bobber went down and Kennedy reeled in a nice bluegill. Her first fish, and the last one to be caught that morning. Her counselor said to her, “See what happens when you don’t give up!”

Kennedy ran back to where the other campers had gathered with her rod in one hand and the fish still on the line in the other and a big grin on her face. No doubt it was a highlight reel moment for her. And for David? Well, he got a big hug.

Mother Nature can be a tough taskmistress. When we attain our goal in the out-of-doors it is a true and honest achievement and, to top it off, an experience of value for all involved.

We would also like to thank our friends at the Oakridge Fire Station for taking the time to show the campers around the fire house and fire engines before they returned to camp.

Best Fishing Practices Workshop/Presentation

Best Fishing Practices workshops/ presentations available to interested ocean bottom anglers.  Attendees will have a chance to win SeaQualizer descending devices (a $50+value).  The workshop will last about 40 minutes and focuses on best fishing practices for the Snapper/Grouper complex of species.

President Signs Modern Fish Act into Law

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President Trump Signs the Modern Fish Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rebecca Louviere, Communications Director

Center for Sportfishing Policy

225-382-3756

Washington, D.C. – January 2, 2019 – The recreational fishing and boating community is celebrating the enactment of the Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act of 2018 (Modern Fish Act), which was signed into law by President Trump December 31. The Modern Fish Act finally recognizes in federal law the differences between recreational and commercial fishing and adds more appropriate management tools for policymakers to use in managing federal recreational fisheries.

“Millions of American families take part in saltwater recreational fishing and boating activities and support multi-billion dollar industries that generate hundreds of thousands of jobs in our country,” said Jeff Angers, president of the Center for Sportfishing Policy. “Today, we are thankful for this important milestone for federal fisheries management and marine conservation, and we look forward to continuing to improve public access to our nation’s healthy fisheries.”

The Modern Fish Act, introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman Garret Graves (R-La.), enjoyed strong bipartisan support from a long list of cosponsors representing coastal and non-coastal states alike. On December 17, the Senate unanimously passed the Modern Fish Act (S. 1520) followed by overwhelming approval in the House (350-11) on December 19.

“This is historic for the recreational boating and fishing community, capping years of hard work to responsibly modernize recreational saltwater fisheries management,” said Thom Dammrich, president of the National Marine Manufacturers Association. “The Modern Fish Act is a critical first-step solution towards establishing a framework for expanding access to recreational saltwater fishing, while ensuring conservation and sustainability remain top priorities in fisheries management. We thank President Trump and Congress for making the Modern Fish Act the law of the land and look forward to working with them in the coming years to advance polices that protect and promote recreational saltwater fishing.”

“The recreational fishing industry is grateful to see this legislation enacted,” said Glenn Hughes, president of the American Sportfishing Association. “We look forward to continuing to work with Congress, as well as NOAA Fisheries and the regional fishery management councils, to improve the management and conservation of our marine fisheries.”

“The Modern Fish Act signed by the President provides an opportunity for significant, positive change on behalf of millions of recreational anglers who enjoy fishing in federal waters,” said Jeff Crane, president of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. “We look forward to working with NOAA Fisheries, the regional fishery management councils and the states to fully implement the provisions of the bill and improve federal fisheries management for America’s saltwater anglers.”

“CCA is proud to be a part of this important coalition, and we are grateful to our champions in Congress who stood by us during the intense, sometimes contentious negotiations on this legislation,” said Patrick Murray, president of Coastal Conservation Association. “There is still work to be done, but this is a valuable first step. We are hopeful this opens the door to an ongoing discussion of tools and processes that can be developed to better manage recreational fisheries in federal waters in all regions of the United States.”

“This bill becoming law is the most significant step forward in federal recreational saltwater fishing management in the forty-plus years of the Magnuson-Stevens Act,” said Whit Fosburgh, president of Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “Recreational fishermen, conservationists and businesses united around a set of principles and worked together to get this bill passed and we will continue to work together on priorities like forage fish management and improving data collection in the future.” 

The recreational fishing and boating community would like to thank the sponsors of the Modern Fish Act, Senator Wicker and Congressman Graves, who led this bipartisan effort in the 115th Congress to improve federal fisheries management for America’s 11 million saltwater anglers. We also appreciate the support of Senators Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Doug Jones (D-Ala.), and Congressmen Steve Scalise (R-La.), Rob Bishop (R-Utah), Marc Veasey (D-Texas), Rob Wittman (R-Va.), Gene Green (D-Texas), Daniel Webster (R-Fla.), and Austin Scott (R-Ga.).

For details on House and Senate passage of the Modern Fish Act and additional industry perspectives, please visit http://www.sportfishingpolicy.com/media-room/u-s-house-passes-modern-fish-act/.

The Modern Fish Act will provide more stability and better access for anglers by:

  • Providing authority and direction to NOAA Fisheries to apply additional management tools more appropriate for recreational fishing, many of which are successfully implemented by state fisheries agencies (e.g., extraction rates, fishing mortality targets, harvest control rules, or traditional or cultural practices of native communities);
  • Improving recreational harvest data collection by requiring federal managers to explore other data sources that have tremendous potential to improve the accuracy and timeliness of harvest estimates, such as state-driven programs and electronic reporting (e.g., through smartphone apps);
  • Requiring the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on the process of mixed-use fishery allocation review by the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Regional Fishery Management Councils and report findings to Congress within one year of enactment of the Modern Fish Act, and
  • Requiring the National Academies of Sciences to complete a study and provide recommendations within two years of the enactment of the Modern Fish Act on limited access privilege programs (catch shares) including an assessment of the social, economic, and ecological effects of the program, considering each sector of a mixed-use fishery and related businesses, coastal communities, and the environment and an assessment of any impacts to stakeholders in a mixed-use fishery caused by a limited access privilege program. This study excludes the Pacific and North Pacific Regional Fishery Management Councils.

The coalition of groups supporting the Modern Fish Act includes American Sportfishing Association, Center for Sportfishing Policy, Coastal Conservation Association, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, International Game Fish Association, National Marine Manufacturers Association, Recreational Fishing Alliance, The Billfish Foundation and Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.

-end-

Hybrid Bass

October 27, 2018

To Local Media

For Immediate Release

Contact: Doug Painter

Painter.doug@yahoo.com

 

STRIPPERS ARRIVE ON SKIDAWAY ISLAND

OOPS, THAT’S STRIPERS, AS IN FINS, NOT FEATHERS

A new show will soon be opening on our island but the only tails that will be shaking in this act are those of one of America’s favorite gamefish, the hybrid striped bass. Thanks to the Skidaway Island Chapter of the Coastal conservation Association (CCA) and Jeff Wong, owner of The Omelette House chain, more than 1700 hybrid striped bass fingerlings were released this past week in six of our island lagoons.

A hybrid striped bass, also known as a wiper or whiterock bass, is cross between a female striped bass and a male white bass. While these fish are sterile, they are quick growers and from their current size of a few inches long will, within two years, grow to football shaped speedsters weighing in at four to six pounds. To promote this growth, your island CCA chapter has already stocked designated lagoons with thousands of threadfin shad, a favorite hybrid bass food.

The fish were brought in by a tank truck from a fish hatchery in Arkansas and their release into our lagoons was supervised by the Landings Association environmental manager, Sean Burgess. With each bucketful of fish, Sean added lagoon water to acclimate the fish to the different water temperature. After a few minutes, Sean would tilt the bucket sideways in the water and the fingerlings would eagerly dart out into their new home.

Sean noted that lagoons receiving these hybrid bass were carefully chosen as optimal habitat for these fish. All chosen lagoons, for example, are among the islands largest ensuring cooler water temperatures in the summer. Most all these lagoons are also ones connected to other lagoons, enabling the bass to eventually migrate throughout the system of connected waters.

Hybrid striped bass are known for aggressive feeding habits often schooling in large numbers on the surface to feed on pods of baitfish. These breaking fish are easy to spot and can be caught on a variety of popular lures including casting spoons, buck-tail jigs, soft body fish replicas, and inline spinners.

While this show won’t be ready for primetime at least for another year, you can begin your fishing plans by obtaining a copy of CCA’s Lagoon Guide which will include information on the six lagoons that have been stocked with hybrid bass. This guide provides data and diagrams on all 150 of our island lagoons and a wealth of information on both the wide range of freshwater and saltwater species that inhabit our island waters. To get your copy, please contact Chuck Smith at chuck.smith60@yahoo.com or call him at 912-598-0518.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sapelo Chapter Banquet August 26th

SAVE THE DATE NOW!!
Coastal Conservation Association Georgia
SAPELO CHAPTER 11th Annual Banquet
Saturday, August 26, 2017 6:00 PM
Sapelo Saltwater Fishing Club
75.00 Couple
50.00 Single
25.00 18 and under
Tickets Include Dinner, CCA Membership, Beer and Wine
10.00 Bottomless Liquor Cup
For Ticket Information or Sponsorship Opportunities
Please Contact Hillari Brown 912-660-8440 hbrown@ccaskidaway.s450.sureserver.com

Or Get Your Tickets Now!

Couple $75 [wp_cart_button name=”Ticket – Couple” price=”75.00″]
Single $50 [wp_cart_button name=”Ticket – Single” price=”50.00″]
Under 18 $25 [wp_cart_button name=”Ticket – 18 and Under” price=”25.00″]
Bottomless Liquor Cup $10 [wp_cart_button name=”Bottomless Liquor Cup” price=”10.00″]

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