Wild Oceans Receives Prestigious Conservation Award for Billfish Work
Reading Time 2 minutes Wild Oceans received the International Game Fish Association’s Conservation Award for 2013 at IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum in Dania Beach, Florida on January 25th.
Wild Oceans was recognized for its work in passing The Billfish Conservation Act of 2012, according to IGFA president Rob Kramer. Tim Choate, Wild Oceans chair, also received an individual award for his
Wild Oceans chairman Tim Choate and president Ken Hinman attend the IGFA awards banquet in Dania Beach, Florida
contribution to helping make the Billfish Act law, as did Senator David Vitter (LA) and Rep. Jeff Miller (FL), the bill’s sponsors in the Senate and House respectively. The Billfish Conservation Act, signed by President Obama in October, outlaws the commercial sale of marlin and other billfish in the United States outside Hawaii and the Pacific territories, effectively ending the importation and sale of an estimated 30,000 marlin a year in the continental U.S.
“We appreciate the honor and the recognition of all the hard work that went into making The Billfish Conservation Act a reality,” said Wild Oceans president Ken Hinman, who accepted the award for the organization at the ceremony. “It was a team effort, and we happily share this award with all those who worked alongside us, especially the IGFA, for three long years.”
