Two Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association Members receive national recognition

Capt. Al Anderson and Steve Medeiros recognized by Sport Fishing Magazine

July 13, 2011

Two local sport fishing advocates, Capt. Alan Anderson and Stephen Medeiros, were among the five winners of Sport Fishing Magazine's "Making A Difference Awards." The winners were announced on Wednesday at ICAST, the world's largest sport fishing trade show, in Las Vegas by Doug Olander, editor-in-chief of Sport Fishing magazine. Five winners were selected from 50 nominees across the U.S. as "individuals who have made a positive difference in saltwater recreational fishing." Both Anderson and Medeiros are members of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association. 2011 Sport Fishing Magazine's "Making a Difference" Award Winners: Capt. Al Anderson Prowler Charters Narragansett, Rhode Island Al Anderson, captain of the charter boat Prowler, has contributed immeasurably to scientific understanding of migratory fishes in the Northeast, having put tags in more than 57,000 fish, including striped bass, tuna, sharks, bluefish and other species. He is far and away the American Littoral Society Fish (www.littoralsociety.org) Tagging Program's most prolific and successful fish tagger, as well as its biggest fan, supporter and advocate. At the present time approximately 42,000 striped bass have been tagged and released for the ALS from his vessels, as well as 5,000 bluefish, 2,000 codfish, with lesser numbers of haddock, sea bass, fluke and tautog/blackfish. Years ago Capt. Anderson discovered few skippers in his local charter industry were involved with "giving something back" to the fisheries that served to support their business. To him, fish tagging had several advantages; it allowed fishing to continue once bag limits were reached, client tag-recapture notification served to remind them of previous, exciting ventures, it recycled a valuable resource while promoting the ethic of conservation, but most importantly, it provided valuable information about their biology for purposes of smarter management decisions. Those tens-of-thousands of dollars spent on tags, postage, and annual donations to several conservation groups (ALS, CCA, FU) were more than offset (fortunately) by charter revenues. Capt. Anderson says, "Credit for my tagging achievements should rightly go to all those clients supporting conservation in the name of science." Stephen Medeiros Executive Director/President, RISAA Coventry, Rhode Island Steve Medeiros is one of the founding members of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association and has served as the organization's President for 13 years. In that time Medeiros has helped RISAA grow to become the largest and best-organized recreational-fishing advocacy groups in New England. RISAA represents over 6,500 anglers and 30 affiliated clubs. Medeiros is a tireless supporter of sport fishing interests in the state, and has helped shape RISAA's community-minded agenda, and has: Helped fight for and protect shore access for fishermen Given sport fishermen a place at the political table in the state Helped ensure that the new license-fee funds be used to support recreational fishing Initiated clean-ups of coastal areas used by fishermen Rallied members to turn out for important state and federal meeting where fisheries management issues are at stake Created a "Take a Kid Fishing Day" that helps city kids enjoy the water and the outdoors (last year's event saw 85 members volunteer their time and boats) Launched the successful New England Saltwater Fishing Show that attracts marine-related business and fishermen from all over New England Launched the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit that provides funding for conservation programs, scholarships, and much more Launched a campaign to create more artificial reefs in RI state waters Fought for the protection of key forage species such as menhaden and herring Pushed for stricter penalties for fisheries violators Worked to forge relationships with commercial fishing interests to protect key species Aside from his duties with RISAA, Medeiros has served on the R.I. Marine Fisheries Council as a recreational representative for the past 12 years. He has also have served on dozens of state boards and commissions and stakeholder groups concerning Rhode Island marine waters, Narragansett Bay and recreational fishing. Three years ago, Medeiros received an award from the R.I. House of Representatives "in recognition of dedicated, committed and enduring service to recreational fishing and preservation of our environment and helping to protect menhaden." The other winners were: Capt. Billy Sandifer, Corpus Christi, Texas Dr. John Graves, Ph.D., Yorktown, Virginia Tom Twyford Jr., West Palm Beach, Florida