The Most Important Part of Bassmaster Classic Isn’t on the Water
OutdoorHub Reporters 02.26.12
Anglers are passionate about the Bassmaster Classic. After all, it’s the super bowl of the competitive fishing world. However, a side event that receives very little attention from the media may be what has longest lasting impact on the fishing community.
This year, in Shreveport, the BASS Conservation summit was brought back to the Classic after a five year break.
35 state BASS Federation Nation Conservation Directors met with the fishery chiefs from those states and several federal officials to discuss the future of fishing in America.
The purpose of the summit was to educate and inform those in attendance on a wide variety of topics. Guest speakers covered everything: water privatization, tournament morality issues, fish culture and stocking, illegal stocking, advances in technology, and even the Alabama Rig.
After the guest speakers, the summit broke up into smaller groups to discuss conservation management techniques and issues.
Gene Gilliland, assistant fisheries chief for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation is a passionate member of the fishing community. Gilliland described, on tulsaworld.com, some of the big issues facing the fishing world. “Is there enough water and is the water clean enough,” said Gilliland, “is the habitat it good shape, and do we even have access to the water or is it being privatized and taken away from the public?”
These weren’t the types of issues that could be solved in a weekend.
However, Gilliland went on to describe how the summit will have a lasting effect. “We’re hoping to educate and motivate these conservation directors to go home to their states and take on some those big challenges.”
