[size=14pt]Fisheries Research Fund to honor local fisherman[/size]
The Joe Bullard Sr. Fisheries Research Fund to benefit research in recreational fisheries
MOBILE, AL - The University of South Alabama Foundation and CCA Alabama have partnered to create a new endowed research fund which will support study and research in recreational fisheries by the University of South Alabama's Department of Marine Sciences.
The fund, totaling nearly $200,000, will be named after avid recreational fisherman and CCA Alabama member, the late Joe Bullard Sr., and will support study and research that "will greatly enhance our understanding of the marine ecosystems which surround us," said Robert Shipp, chairman of the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of South Alabama.
"Fisheries research in the Gulf of Mexico has reached a crucial stage, partly in response to management measures and partially from the impacts of the BP oil spill," said Shipp. "Rigorous science is needed for correct decisions to best maintain our marine resources. Funding like that provided with Bullard Fund enhances progress for this much needed fisheries science."
Maxey J. Roberts, managing director of the University of South Alabama Foundation, said the fund could grow with additional CCA participation, as the foundation has agreed to match additional CCA contributions up to $100,000.
"Joe Bullard worked diligently to preserve and enhance recreational fishing opportunities in the Gulf Coast region, and he was a tremendous force for the conservation of our marine resources," said Palmer Whiting, President of CCA Alabama. "It is fitting that we recognize his considerable efforts with a research fund in his name that will continue to pursue his vision for those resources and for recreational anglers."
The Bullard Fisheries Research Fund was originally established through the efforts of his many friends and fishing partners in the Coastal Conservation Association in Bullard's honor. The fund may be used to support established research professionals, to support and assist new researchers and to support and assist students in carrying out fisheries research.
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CCA is the largest marine resource conservation group of its kind in the nation. With almost 100,000 members in 17 state chapters, CCA has been active in state, national and international fisheries management issues since 1977. For more information visit the CCA Newsroom at
http://www.JoinCCA.org
