atthehelm
VOLUME XV, No. 4, AUG/SEPT 2010
We Stand With You
ike most Americans, I’ve been glued to the television, the
Internet, and my e-mail as thousands, then millions of gallons
of oil have spewed into the Gulf of Mexico. Like you, a lover of
the water, I’ve watched, heartsick, for news, for hope really, that
this environmental catastrophe would end, only to see the pollution worsen and to see the livelihoods of so many of our fellow
Americans in the Gulf states threatened.
As I write, the latest system devised to retrieve some of the leaking oil appears
to be working, and captured oil is being pumped aboard surface ships. As we
watch the latest news on this, the greatest environmental disaster in the U.S.,
I’m reassured that it’s the experienced former U.S. Coast Guard Commandant,
Thad Allen, whom the administration put at the helm of the federal response. It
was Admiral Allen’s Coast Guard rapid-response rescue team that performed so
impressively after Hurricane Katrina.
For the latest information affecting boaters and anglers, BoatU.S. is constantly
expanding and updating our Oil Spill website, www.BoatUS.com/OilSpill. We
recently added a video shot on location in Venice, Louisiana, featuring an interview with a sportfisherman on his outlook about how the spill will affect his sport
For this issue, we had already planned a special focus on sportfishing policy
at the federal level and the oil spill makes our concerns even more urgent. What
will happen to delicate reefs and stocks of fish? Of special concern is the already
imperiled giant bluefin tuna that spawn in the Gulf of Mexico, which may be
wiped out by the spill. Red snapper, amberjack, grouper — all will be impacted.
Of all people, anglers understand that sustainable management of these species is
more critical than ever. We report on this great fisheries-management debate, with
all its complications and challenges, on page 22.
And for those who boat to fish, the BoatU.S. Angler program is dedicated
to serving the particular needs of anglers. Its website features news on the oil
spill with information key to fishermen in the area. While
the focus of BoatU.S. Angler has been on inland lakes and
rivers, this branch of BoatU.S. is focused on preserving the
fishing lifestyle everywhere. Visit www.BoatUSAngler.com/.
Let’s hope the tide has turned for the better by the
time you are reading this. The Gulf Coast’s precious wet-lands, fishing grounds and beaches are some of our country’s greatest natural resources and, in that, the ruin of the
Gulf’s local waters has come home to all of us.
“L
CHAIRMAN & FOUNDER Richard Schwartz
PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER
Nancy S. Michelman
CONSULTING EDITOR
Bernadette Bernon
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Michael Vatalaro
MANAGING EDITOR Elaine Dickinson
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ryck Lydecker
CONSUMER EDITOR Caroline Ajootian
TECHNICAL EDITOR Chuck Husick
CON TRIBUTING EDITORS
Ann Dermody, Tom Neale
PUBLIC AFFAIRS ASSOCIATE
Claire Wyngaard
Now, sustainable
management of fish
species is more
critical than ever
ART DIRECTOR Carla Shamblen
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Rick Kelvington, Marcus Floro
DIREC TOR OF ADVER TISING
Elio Betty
PHONE: 703-461-4383
FAX: 703-461-2845
ebetty@BoatUS.com
ADVER TISING SALES
John Bratten, Advertising Sales Manager
PHONE: 703-461-4389
FAX: 757-383-6132
jbratten@BoatUS.com
William J. McVey, Jr.
PHONE: 212-316-0383 / 800-447-4766
FAX: 212-666-1980
CLASSIFIED ADVER TISING
PHONE: 888-282-2628
FAX: 703-461-4664
MEMBER SERVICES
800-395-2628
CIRCULATION MANAGER
Lauren James
EDITORIAL OFFICES
880 S. Pickett St.
Alexandria, VA 22304
PHONE: 703-461-2864
FAX: 703-461-2845
e-mail: magazine@BoatUS.com
address change: 800-395-2628
President & Publisher
©BoatU. S. MAGAZINE (ISSN 1090-1272) Published bimonthly by Boat
Owners Association of The United States, 880 South Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304 (six issues). Periodicals Postage Paid at Alexandria, VA.
and at additional mailing offices. Subscription is $6.00 annually to BoatU.S.
members. Contact BoatU.S. for permission to reprint articles, (703) 461-
2864. POSTMASTER: Send Change of Address to BoatU.S. Magazine, 880
South Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304 (2010).
