B.A.S.S. and Recycled Fish form Conservation Partnership

November 3, 2011

B.A.S.S. and Recycled Fish form Conservation Partnership

Strategic alliance advances Stewardship Ethic in bass fishing

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — If there’s one thing that bass anglers love, it’s catching a big bass. The only thing better is catching two. Catching more and bigger fish requires healthy waters, and a new relationship between B.A.S.S. and Recycled Fish will help accomplish that.

Through this new partnership, B.A.S.S. Federation Nation conservation directors and B.A.S.S. clubs around the world will help bring to life programs like the Recycled Fish 1 Million Stewards program. In that program, they will provide reusable mesh lake cleanup bags packaged with the “We Are Stewards” booklet. The booklet describes everyday ways that anglers can care for their waters — even when they’re not at the lake. When anglers use the cleanup bags, they can visit a website to report their efforts and earn recognition and prizes.

“There is no group of people more committed to healthy waters than anglers, and B.A.S.S. members represent the most passionate anglers in the world,” said Teeg Stouffer, Recycled Fish executive director. “Together, Recycled Fish and B.A.S.S. can make the point that as concerned anglers, we don’t just ‘do’ a lake cleanup once a year, we are lake cleanups, and we can live a lifestyle where our waters are better off on account of us. After all, healthy waters grow more and bigger fish.”

The partnership inspires habitat restoration and improvement, helps fight the spread of invasive species, encourages watershed-level stewardship and S.A.F.E. angling practices, and addresses access issues and participation in the sport of fishing.

“B.A.S.S. Conservation is committed to caring for our waters from coast to coast and around the world,” said Noreen Clough, B.A.S.S. conservation director. “Our award-winning projects are creating, maintaining and sustaining black bass fisheries and the habitats on which they depend. This partnership helps us continue to do so efficiently and in new and exciting ways.”

Recycled Fish is the 501c3 nonprofit organization of anglers living a lifestyle of stewardship both on and off the water, because our lifestyle runs downstream. We Are Stewards.

B.A.S.S. Conservation is a proactive leader in addressing the nation's vital aquatic conservation issues. The B.A.S.S. Conservation program focuses on six fundamental issues vital to the future health of the nation's aquatic resources: habitat, aquatic nuisance species, aquatic vegetation management, angler access, fish health and tournament fish care.

For more information about B.A.S.S. Conservation, go to www.bassmaster.com/conservation. For more information about Recycled Fish, go to www.recycledfish.org.

About B.A.S.S.

For more than 40 years, B.A.S.S. has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and an expansive tournament structure while connecting directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.

The Bassmaster brand and its multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications — Bassmaster Magazine and B.A.S.S. Times — comprehensive website Bassmaster.com, ESPN2 and Outdoor Channel television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, B.A.S.S. Federation Nation events presented by Yamaha and Skeeter Boats and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.

B.A.S.S. offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members and remains focused on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.

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Recycled Fish Media Contact: B.A.S.S. Contact:

Teeg Stouffer, Executive Director Noreen Clough

FishRecycler@RecycledFish.org nclough@bassmaster.com

(402) 873-7255 (desk) (352) 404-9956