as well as growth of existing man- groves. In the later stages of the project there will be a large-scale mangrove and sea grass planting. CCA Florida purchased a large amount of the tools required for this project, and the dol- lars spent went much farther, thanks to the generosity of longtime CCA spon- sor, Crowder Bros Ace Hardware. “We are happy to be able to roll up our sleeves and do something to give back to the local community,” stated Rick Smith, CCA Treasure Coast Chapter president. “Any time we can get involved in a local project we are happy to do it.” For more information about this ongoing project or to get involved with the Treasure Coast Chapter, please con- tact Rick Smith at (772) 532-0665
LOUISIANA
Hall of Fame welcomes Schram and Caplinger
Gus Schram and Rebel Caplinger
were inducted into the CCA Louisiana Hall of Fame at the organization’s State Convention in Baton Rouge in February. Schram and Caplinger became the 10th and 11th inductees into the Hall, which recognizes individuals who have per- formed outstanding service for marine conservation. Schram, of Lake Charles, CCA Lou- isiana’s current state president, was one of a handful of concerned anglers who helped form the organization’s first chapter in Lake Charles in 1984. Lake Charles also served for a period as state headquarters for the Gulf Coast Conservation Association, as CCA was called then. The headquarters was eventually moved to Baton Rouge as the organization grew to include chap- ters in most regions of Louisiana. “I was a fisherman who observed the excessive commercial catches of large breeding stock redfish and speckled trout,” Schram recalled. “When I heard the GCCA story, it immediately caught my attention as the way to invest my time to make an important difference so that my kids and grandkids could enjoy saltwater fishing as I have.” Prior to becoming state president, Schram served in a number of posi- tions in CCA, including treasurer for 16 years and as a member of the state Board of Directors, state Executive Committee and chairman of the National Management Committee. Rebel Caplinger is originally from
TIDE Circle hook regs become law
CCA Maine played an important role in several new saltwater angling regulations recently written into law by the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR). The most controver- sial regulation makes it “unlawful to use any hook other than a circle hook when using bait” for striped bass and bluefish in order to reduce deep-hook- ing mortality in both species. A com- panion regulation, initiated by CCA Maine, bans the use of treble hooks with bait for stripers and bluefish — again to reduce unnecessary mortality in both species.
Baton Rouge but now lives in Slidell with her husband, Charlie, and their children. Caplinger was CCA Lou- isiana’s first assistant director and played a crucial role in the organiza- tion’s phenomenal growth. During her tenure as assistant director, the number of CCA Louisiana local chapters more than doubled. Jeff Angers, the former executive
director of CCA who first hired Caplinger, said she worked tirelessly, traveling to every corner of Louisiana, to organize new chapters. “For the better part of a decade, Rebel was the face of CCA,” Angers said. “She organized the fishing seminars. She planned the banquets. She worked with committees to pull off successful events from one corner of the state to the other. She made a career out of working with volunteers whom she really admired. It was a partnership that continues to ben- efit conservation today.”
MAINE
when drift- or still-fishing.
DMR enacted the new laws follow- ing several public scoping meetings around the state. Enforcement on the treble hooks with bait law will begin this year; the mandatory use of circle hooks with bait will be phased in over a two year “educational” period, with enforcement beginning in 2013.
New head of DMR In January, the Maine Legislature
endorsed the nomination of Norman Olsen, a fourth generation commercial fisherman and former staffer in the U.S. Foreign Service, as the new DMR Commissioner. CCA Maine worked very closely with George Lapointe, the outgoing commissioner, and one of the organization’s major efforts in the com- ing months will be to continue to “make the case” that the proper man- agement of Maine’s marine resources and habitat is key to growing saltwater recreational fishing in the state. At present, more than 200,000 anglers fish the salt in Maine, and the fishery has an annual net worth of almost $48 million to the state’s econo- my, making it the second most valu- able fishery in Maine after lobstering.
In the run-up to enactment of the leg- islation, CCAMaine alerted its member- ship and the press to scientific research on circle hooks, making the point that non-offset circle hooks are more “fish friendly” and often more effective than J hooks when used with bait, especially
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