It's Time Again for the Miami International Boat Show

Submitted by Site Administrator on Mar 14, 2014 - 9:05am

Biggest (boat) Show on Earth! With 3 onsite locations, the Miami Boat Show is the biggest and baddest! Visit our booth again this year.The Snook & Gamefish Foundation (SGF) will again have a presence at the Miami International Boat Show (MIBS), and will be showcasing the X-Fish on site. Board members and SGF volunteers will be on hand to answer questions about current SGF projects, including the Angler Action Program, the upcoming Ales for Anglers event, and SGF's involvement in Florida's entanglement net law suit. The Angler Action program, begun in 2010, aims to develop a long term angler-generated fishery data record. In partnership with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the program has seen steady growth of participants as well as increased data applications. The goal is to assure the highest degree of trust and accuracy in data collected by anglers for the purposes of fishery research, assessment and management.

What:

Miami International Boat show

When:

Feb 13-17, 2014

Where:

MIAMI BEACH CONVENTION CENTER 1901 Convention Center Drive Miami Beach, FL 33139

Hours:

10AM daily (marina opens at 9)

Tickets:

Get tickets here!

Over this past year, the AAP has grown in numerous ways. The website platform is faster and easier to use, and the smartphone app gained some important bells and whistles, including weather and tidal info. Anglers can also use the app to find out what the state fishing laws are anywhere in the US. Just this week, the AAP logged it's 30,000th fish into the program. Considering that about 80% of all logged fish are released, each entry is doubly important. "For the first time, anglers get credit for the fish we release," says SGF board member Pete Quasius. Miami Boat Show guests can stop by the SGF booth and pick up information on the program, and our volunteers are happy to answer questions or get you started. Snook & Gamefish Foundation Chairman Jim Bandy, who plans to spend time at the show this year, says the opportunity to mingle with anglers at boat shows is very important to SGF as well as anglers. "We've always felt like we have the responsibility of being a true communication link for anglers, passing along vital news to anglers from groups like FWC as well as sending important information back up the chain. So any chance we get to spend time with our eyes and ears is a huge benefit to our organization." SGF members are asked to model the sportsman-scientist suggested by founder Bill Mote who believed that "the future of fishing is in the hands of informed anglers who will take steps to enhance, not just protect gamefish species." Spending part of their time on the water participating in research and teaching others, is part of that package. A craft like the Gause-Built is a great way to put anglers where they need to be to make that happen!