2008 Sustainable Fisheries Leadership Awards Recipients

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service announced this year's recipients for the Sustainable Fisheries Leadership Awards Program. Created in 2005, this is the only national awards program which recognizes and honors individuals and organizations for their contributions and achievements for the conservation, management and sustainable use of our Nation's living marine resources. NOAA has partnered with Fish for the Future Foundation to provide a vehicle for public participation and to administer the program. We received many more nominations this year making the review and selection process extremely difficult. We thank everyone who was involved in the nomination and selection process.

The recipients will be honored at the Third Annual Awards Ceremony on June 2, 2008 in Washington, D.C. The Award recipients for the six categories are:

Special Recognition Category
Winner: Robert Fletcher
Sportfishing Association of California

Award Synopsis: His life-long association with West Coast marine fisheries and the dedication of most of his adult life toward improvements in their management and regulation.

Winner: Ralph Rayburn (posthumously)
Mrs. Elaine Rayburn

Award Synopsis: Ralph had the unique experience of representing and working with the shrimp industry, then state and federal resource management agencies (via Texas parks and Wildlife Department and as the Texas representative on the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council), and finally university research and extension. This gave him an enviable and highly diverse background. He used wisdom accumulated from all of these experiences and opportunities to mentor many people and add to their palettes of professional skills. Many of these are the very people who today make important decisions regarding management of marine resources. Certainly Ralph's efforts in the sea turtle conservation arena had a significant impact. Ralph used diplomacy and marshalled the resources from other supporting organizations (NMFS, Sea Grant, Gulf and South Atlantic Fisheries Foundation, etc.) to work cooperatively with fishermen to solve this conservation issue. Though initial solutions took time, the results were positive. As a result, responsible sea turtle conservation has been realized not only in the Western Gulf, but throughout the entire Southeast Region.

Stewardship and Sustainability Category
Winners: Patrick Riley, Captain Manuel Calderon, Captain Louis Stephenson
Members, Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Industry

Award Synopsis: Through their uncommon vision, a strong conservation ethic, extraordinary technical competence, and iron-willed perseverance, Riley, Calderon, and Stephenson have led in the creation and assessment of effective, efficient equipment to reduce bycatch, prevent sea turtle mortality, and sharply reduce fuel use in the Gulf and South Atlantic shrimp fishery.

Coastal Habitat Restoration Category
Winner: Marine Conservation Alliance Foundation (MCAF)
David Benton (Executive Director)

Award Synopsis: Since its inception, MCAF-sponsored cleanup programs have removed a total of 282 tons of debris. In the state with more shoreline than the rest of the Nation and high volumes of debris on remote beaches with high wildlife values, MCAF has produced results. They have demonstrated ingenuity and innovation in working in parts of Alaska that are difficult to access.

Public Education Community Service and Media Category
Winner: Doug Gregory (University of FL, Florida SG Marine Extension Agent)

Award Synopsis: Through the University of Florida/Sea Grant office in the Florida Keys, Doug has helped to empower the commercial fishing industry to become active partners with state and federal regulators in seeing that the valuable fisheries of the Florida Keys remain sustainable for future generations. This likely would not have happened without his involvement due to his unique combination of work ethic, communications skills and commitment to sustainable fisheries. When he talks of sustainable fisheries, the local people know he is talking about the resource and the fishermen.

Conservation Partnership Category
Winner: Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle Program - Patrick Burchfield

Award Synopsis: The USFWS, NMFS, Gladys Porter Zoo, Texas Parks and Wildlife, National Fishing Institute, and Texas Shrimp Association have spent considerable effort, materials and people to work with Mexican scientists associated with the bi-national program and have led the way in protecting and recovering the Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle in the Gulf of Mexico. The program formally began in 1978, there were 924 nests identified and protected on the beaches around Rancho Nuevo, Tamaulipas, Mexico and in 2007, approximately 15,000 nests were protected. Animals that were released back into the Gulf in previous years are now returning to their natal beaches to nest themselves. Without this enduring and effective partnership, the species would likely be on the brink of extinction.

Science, Research and Technology Category
Winner: Clayward Tam, HI Dept of Land and Natural Resources

Award Synopsis: Mr. Tam's research has provided fishery scientist and managers with critical life history information, growth rates and movement, that was previously unknown or only poorly understood. Results from this project will give the first comprehensive estimates of natural and fishing mortalities of key predator species in Hawaii's coastal zone. These data will be incorporated into stock assessment models for these species which will provide a quantitative assessment of the impact of fishing in Hawaii's coastal zone. Further, the project data will also be incorporated in ecosystem models of the Main Hawaiian Islands reef and bottomfish communities in order to provide managers with the tools to develop management alternatives.

Additional information on the Awards program is available at (http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/awards/index.htm). If you have any questions or are interested in attending the Awards Ceremony, please call either Mary Hope Katsouros (Mhk@fish4thefuturefoundation.org) or Michele Shea at (Michele.Shea@fish4thefuturefoundation.org).