United Anglers of Southern California

UNITED ANGLERS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TO HONOR
BEVERLY RAY PARKHURST AT 18TH ANNUAL FUNDRAISING DINNER

October 25 Event Promises Great Food, Good Times, Valuable Raffle Prizes and Presentation of UASC Bill Ray Memorial Conservation Award

Non-profit recreational fishing organization United Anglers of Southern California (UASC) is busy planning its 18th Annual Fundraising Dinner, scheduled for Sunday, October 25 at the luxurious Balboa Bay Club & Resort in Newport Beach.    This popular yearly event will feature a sumptuous plated dinner, socializing with fellow anglers and industry representatives, and more valuable raffle and door prizes than you shake a graphite stick at.  

The highlight of this event each year is the presentation of the Bill Ray Memorial Award, the highest conservation award presented by UASC.  Over the years, this award has been presented to a diverse group of individuals who have gone above and beyond the call of duty on behalf of recreational anglers.   The prestigious list of recent recipients includes Bart Hall of Fred Hall & Associates (2008), Peggie Shedd of AFTCO (2007), retired California Fish and Game Commission Director Robert B. Treanor (2006) and hook-and-line commercial fisherman Jack Webster (2005).  Among other notable fishing luminaries who have been honored since the award’s inception in 1991 are Bill Ray, Milt Shedd, Bill Shedd, Don Kent, Paxson Offield, Thomas Pfleger, Fred Hall, Bill Beebe, Russ Izor, Jim Donlon, Sen. Dede Alpert, Bob Fletcher and Dick Pool.

FISHING GROUPS, SPORTFISHING INDUSTRY AND FAMILY ANGLERS JOIN TOGETHER FOR “YES ON 2!” RALLY AT DANA WHARF SPORTFISHING OCT. 18

United Anglers of Southern California Spearheads Effort to Educate & Motivate Recreational Anglers Leading Up to October 21 MLPA Meeting In Long Beach

On Sunday, October 18 at 2 p.m., dozens of party boats from landings up and down the coast, private boaters coming by sea and by land, and hundreds of family recreational anglers will converge on Dana Point Harbor for a rally of angler solidarity and a show of support for the plan put forth by Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Workgroup 2.

This “Yes on 2!” Rally is being spearheaded by United Anglers of Southern California (UASC), Dana Wharf Sportfishing, Newport Landing, and Davey’s Locker.  Steven Fukuto as president of UASC, the non-profit organization representing thousands of family anglers for the past 20 years, understands the importance of conserving our marine resources.  This is why the organization has long been involved in a range of issues such as water pollution, habitat protection and restoration, captive breeding programs and fisheries management activities.  Fukuto also understands the potential devastating economic impacts that will become reality across Southern California if the more restrictive of these Workgroup Plans (Plan 1 or Plan 3) are passed into law.

“We’re not out here saying ‘no’ to conservation — we’re saying ‘YES’ to a plan that achieves the MLPA’s mandated conservation goals while minimizing the economic and social impact on Southern Californians,” said Fukuto.   “This is a very important distinction, and one that shouldn’t be lost on anglers or the general public.   Angler’s groups have been involved in this process from the start and have learned to accept that meeting the MLPA’s conservation goals means a certain level of sacrifice for fishermen.    Workgroup 2’s Plan is still going to hurt — but we can live with the fact that it offers the best level of conservation while striving not to severely restricting recreational angling,” added Fukuto.

Dana Wharf Sportfishing was chosen as the rally site because it, along with landings in nearby Newport Harbor, would be among the businesses most severely affected by proposed Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)  in the Orange County component of Group 1 and Group 3’s plans.   Dana Wharf Sportfishing’s and Newport Harbor’s 1/2- and 3/4-day boat fleet — the bread and butter of the landing’s business — would be shut out of many local areas.  And the many families who embark daily on these easy, affordable fishing trips would be left high and dry.   “What would happen here is not exclusive to Orange County either,” warned Fukuto.    “Under the most restrictive of these plans, similar situations would occur at landings and harbors across Southern California, with devastating economic results and loss of recreational opportunities.  It also would impact private boaters and kayak anglers, forcing them to travel further and further from their launch sites, sometimes in rough conditions,” said Fukuto.  

The industry and Southern California sportfishing community is doing all it can to support this effort to rally anglers around the Workgroup 2 Plan.  “I want to thank the efforts of Dana Wharf Sportfishing, Newport Landing, Davey’s Locker for their help in coordinating this event,” Fukuto said.”  We hope that unified public support for Workgroup 2 Plan will influence the decision with the Blue Ribbon Tasks Force and we invite any organizations in favor of Workgroup 2 Proposal to be involved.”  The Partnership for Sustainable Oceans (PSO), a combination of industry, non-profit conservation and grass-roots anglers’ organizations, is actively involved in this educational effort.  Media outlets such as Western Outdoor News and 976-TUNA.com are using their mass communications reach to help spread the word about the upcoming rally and the all-important MLPA meeting October 21 in Long Beach.

According to Fukuto, the two most important goals of this rally are motivation and education.    “We absolutely must show up at the Long Beach meeting and make our presence felt in support of ‘Yes on 2!’,” said Fukuto.    “It begins with this rally on October 18.   We want to get people fired up and feeling they can make a difference.  We also want to make sure our point gets across and that we make the most of the time we have during public comment.   We’ll be passing out talking points for the public, so they can represent the recreational angling community well and effectively communicate why we support the plan from Workgroup 2,” added Fukuto.

Anglers are encouraged to attend this rally by any means possible.  More information about the Dana Wharf rally and plans for public attendance at the Long Beach MLPA meeting, call the UASC office (562) 494-9900 or visit the organization’s website at www.unitedanglers.com.

The United Anglers Poker Tournament finished up on September 26th in fine style with all the cards (so to speak) left on the table to find us crowning a new champion for 2009!

The 1st annual UASC poker tournament in 2008 saw Steve Wolfe take home the grand prize and he was there to defend his title in 2009. Although he gave a valiant effort, Christie Shedd from Aftco knocked Steve out and collected the bounty that was placed on him.

As the 70 player tournament progressed many new faces continued to build their chip stacks to seek their position at the final table.

After several hours of hard play, bluff’s and bad beats the top 10 were decided.

The final table saw:
Jed Dickerson, Kevin Yamauchi, Marvin Chan, Adam Jadovitz, Bob Derenard, John Huff, Don Endsley, Geof Martin, Andrew Berg and John Vieira.

As the play begin 2nd place finisher from 2008, John Huff showed his run last year was not a fluke but in the end John Vieira outlasted the field and was crowned the 2009 United Anglers of Southern California Poker Champion!

This was a great event and United Anglers would like to thank all of you who participated in the tournament this year to make it a great success! We would not have been able to put this tournament together had it not been for our sponsors who graciously support UASC.

A special thanks to:
Accurate, Aftco Mfg, American Bass, American Spirit, Big Game 90, Bloody Decks.Com, Daiwa, Keep’n It Reel, Owner, P-Line, SenorTuna.Com, Turners Outdoorsman, 976-Tuna, and a special thanks to the Pechanga Resort and Casino!

We look forward to seeing all of you in 2010!

Upcoming UASC Fund Raising Events

UASC Crab Feed (Completed)
UASC New Office, Signal Hill
Saturday, August 15th 2009
Dinner Ticket: $40 (include ticket and raffle)

UASC Poker Tournament (Completed)
Pachenga Casino, Temecula
Saturday, September 26th 2009
Entry: $130.00 to buy in and lunch

UASC 18th Annual Fundraising Dinner Honoring Beverly Ray (Completed)
Balboa Bay Club & Resort, Newport Beach
Sunday October 25th, 2009
Ticket: $100.00

SUCCESSFUL CABRILLO PIER EVENT KICKS OFF NEW YOUTH FISHING PROGRAM FOR UASC

August 22nd  “Fishing With Uncle Larry” Event in Conjunction with Cabrillo Marine Aquarium Features Fun, Fishing and Debut of New Educational Booklet Designed for Kids

Signal Hill, Calif. (August 22, 2009) — A successful youth fishing event today on Cabrillo Pier in San Pedro provided an exciting kick-off for a new youth fishing program under the direction of United Anglers of Southern California (UASC), a non-profit organization dedicated to marine conservation and maximizing recreational fishing opportunities.

Today’s  “Fishing With Uncle Larry” event provided a successful launch for UASC’s program, combining a fun morning’s fishing with an opportunity for kids and families to learn some very important lessons about Southern California’s ocean and coastal wildlife, our unique environmental challenges, fishing techniques, ethical angling guidelines and much more.  Uncle Larry is Larry Fukuhara, Programs Director for the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium.  In addition to his love for teaching kids about ocean life and ecology, Fukuhara is an avid recreational fisherman.  Along with the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, this first-of-its-kind pier event was supported by UASC Youth Fishing Partners including NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, 976-TUNA Youth Fishing, Friends of Rollo, and Fred Hall & Associates.   This educational activity was made possible in part through a grant from the Montrose Settlements Restoration Program (MSRP), administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.