FLW Outdoors, FishAmerica partner to enhance fisheries

FLW Outdoors takes great pride in promoting conservation and using the latest equipment and techniques to maintain the health of fish caught during competition. As a direct result of this dedication to our nation’s natural resources, Wal-Mart FLW Tour anglers historically maintain a minimum live-release rate of 98 percent. To honor this accomplishment in 2003, Energizer will donate $25,000 to the Children’s Miracle Network during the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship in Richmond, Va., as part of a tradition that was established in 2000.

Also in 2000, FLW Outdoors announced its partnership with the FishAmerica Foundation, the conservation arm of the American Sportsfishing Association. Since that announcement, the organization has directly donated more than $200,000 and has helped raise more than $1 million for local conservation projects. In 2003, FLW Outdoors donated $5,000 at each of its seven Wal-Mart FLW Tour events as well as at a variety of its other sanctioned tournaments. Here is a summary of the FLW Tour contributions for 2003:

Lake Okeechobee

At the Wal-Mart FLW Tour season opener on Lake Okeechobee $5,000 was contributed to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which used the money to purchase fish feeders. The feeders complemented underwater structures called Reef Balls that were purchased through a past FLW Outdoors donation. The feeders were mounted in two locations: one on the north end of the lake at Okeechobee Pier and the other at Pahokee Pier across the lake from Clewiston, Fla. The purpose of the Reef Balls, which act as physical habitat structures, and the feeders, which introduce fish feed, is to attract a higher concentration of fish to improve fishing conditions in targeted areas.

Atchafalaya Basin

For the season’s second event, held on the Atchafalaya Basin in February, a $5,000 contribution went to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, which used the money to continue its stocking program that began in 2000 with another FLW Outdoors donation. The department used the funds to purchase Florida-strain bass that were released in various locations in the lower half of the basin. Florida-strain bass are larger than native species, so they provide bigger fish for anglers to catch.

Lake Murray

For the 2003 season’s third FLW Tour stop, held on Lake Murray in March, a $5,000 contribution went to the South Carolina Department of Natural Recourses, which used the money to renovate the Cheraw State Fish Hatchery production ponds. The department used the funds to add an electricity line to the six ponds in the hatchery, allowing the ponds to double, possibly even triple, fish production.

The hatchery grows largemouth, smallmouth and striped bass as well as channel catfish, bluegills and sunfish. It produces 1 million to 2 million sport fish annually. Over the last six years, the hatchery has experienced difficulty keeping up with the growth rate of the fish, which created oxygen problems. Electricity will ease the problems by allowing the department of natural resources to run oxygen blowers or aerators to the water.

Beaver Lake

FLW Outdoors continued its conservation efforts with a $5,000 donation to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission during the Wal-Mart Open on Beaver Lake. The contribution went toward the Beaver Lake Artificial PVC Habitat Structures Project that was established in 2002 with another $5,000 donation from FLW Outdoors. The commission used the money to create artificial cover to supplement natural cover, which has long since decayed on the aging reservoir.

Over the years, the lack of cover has been subsidized with the addition of artificial structures made from discarded Christmas trees and wooden pallets, which, unfortunately, decay over time. The plastic PVC shelters do not experience decay and provide the same degree of benefits. The commission added 19 shelters to the lake thanks to this year’s donation.

Kentucky Lake

FLW Outdoors donated $5,000 to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources following an FLW Tour stop on Kentucky Lake in May. The donation went toward the Patterson Islands Shore Stabilization and Restoration Project to help restore the water quality in Kentucky Lake by stabilizing 1,600 feet of shoreline along one of the lake’s eight islands.

The state used the contribution in conjunction with $45,000 from the Tennessee Valley Authority and other state funds to stabilize island No. 4, ranked as the Kentucky Lake island most critically in need of stabilization due to severe erosion from wave and wind action. The project benefits the fishery by creating additional habitat for sport fish, improving water quality and reducing erosion.

The project involved placing large limestone rock, known as riprap, along the island’s shoreline to protect it from wind and wave action, thereby reducing erosion and improving the water quality of the lake. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has estimated that it will cost $1.2 million to stabilize all eight of the Patterson Islands.

Wheeler Lake

At the FLW Tour stop on Wheeler Lake in June, $5,000 was donated to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The donation went toward the 2004 and 2005 Joe Wheeler Youth Fishing Events. These projects provide a controlled area for community youth to fish for stocked catfish.

This was the second $5,000 donation FLW Outdoors made to the department; last year’s donation also went toward stocking the lake with catfish for youth fishing events. This year’s contribution will fund the purchase of catfish for both the 2004 and 2005 events. The money will also go toward the cost of keeping the area controlled, making the fish available for the children.

The project involves stocking the lake with catfish – which are chosen for their availability, cost and eagerness to bite – for the children to catch. Channel catfish are stocked and corralled with a 600-foot net at Joe Wheeler State Park marina. Approximately 1,000 pounds of catfish are stocked two days prior to the event to ensure a high success rate among participants. All remaining fish are released into the lake after the event to provide additional angling opportunities throughout the year.

Outreach initiatives

FLW Outdoors works diligently to teach people the importance of protecting our nation’s natural resources. Fujifilm pros competing at each FLW Tour event visit children in local schools and hospitals. They present themselves as positive role models and talk about the value of family time and learning about the environment. FLW Outdoors is also the driving force behind Wal-Mart’s national Take a Kid Fishing campaign every June.

Additionally, the company manages charitable tournaments for the Children’s Miracle Network, Kansas Wildscape and the Burlington, Kan., police department.

Nationwide, anglers as a whole contribute more than $644 million to the conservation and management of fisheries through license fees and federal excise taxes on fishing equipment and gas used in motorboats. The excise taxes benefit the Sport Fish Restoration Trust Fund, which distributed $212.4 million to states in 1999 to improve fish habitat. These funds pay up to 75 percent of the cost of each improvement project while states contribute at least 25 percent of the cost.

More than any other group, professional anglers have a vested interest in protecting the environment and promoting a healthy fish population.