Sportfishing Industry Leaders Raise $50,000 for Better Fishing in 2017

Left to Right: Dan Parnel, NSIA Board President, B.G. Eilertson, Fisherman’s Marine and Outdoor, and Liz Hamilton, Executive Director, NSIA

With big changes on the horizon for fisheries in the region sportfishing industry leaders and supporters came together over the weekend to raise important funds that will go towards the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association’s work in the coming year towards enhancing recreational fishing opportunities throughout the Northwest. Nearly 200 industry professionals and fishery advocates came together Saturday December 3^rd at the 18^th Annual Oregon Banquet. Attendees successfully raised over $50,000 that will be used to fight for more fish and better fishing in 2017 and beyond.

Amid turmoil with the Columbia River reforms, the potential for changes to Columbia and Snake River management that could dramatically improve fisheries throughout the region, and attacks on hatchery fish production, this year’s banquet was among the most important in the organization’s history.

Martha Peterson with NSIA Board President Dan Parnel

NSIA gives special appreciation to the event’s title sponsors Pro-Cure and Cabela’s. The Oregon Banquet is one of NSIA’s most significant fundraising opportunities of the year, and the event would not be possible without the support of these two outstanding companies.

Banquet attendees enjoyed multiple games, raffles, and several auctions gave several opportunities for supporters to take home big prizes. Cody Herman of Outdoor GPS served as emcee, and expert fishing guide and auctioneer, Grant Putnam auctioned off nearly twenty items that included exciting items and trips such as sports tickets, custom-made fishing gear, guided fishing trips from the area’s top guides, and vacation packages.Leaders honored two of the sportfishing industry’s strongest members in B.G. Eilertson and Martha Peterson with the Buzz Ramsey Footsoldier Award. Martha has worked for Danielson Company and Maurice Sporting Goods and, for years, has been one of the primary organizers of the Oregon Banquet.  She has given countless hours of her time towards gathering donations, planning for events, and raising money to benefit Oregon’s fisheries. B.G. is a tackle buyer for Fisherman’s Marine and Outdoor, and is among the most steadfast pillars of the sportfishing industry. He has been working in sporting good for decades and is consistently one of the first to volunteer for attending public hearings, giving testimony, and organizing fundraising events.

The evening’s emcee, Cody Herman of Outdoor GPS.

NSIA also hosted special guests, ODFW Fish and Wildlife Commissioner, Greg Wolley and Oregon Senator, Laurie Monnes Anderson. Senator Monnes Anderson, who in the past through words and actions shown herself to be an ally of the industry, took the podium to recognize the sportfishing industry’s important role in Oregon’s economy and culture.

Proceeds from the event benefit The Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association which was founded in 1993 by a group of sport fishing industry business leaders who understood the need for a strong voice in the local, state, regional and federal governments. The NSIA is dedicated to the preservation, restoration and improvement of sport fisheries and the businesses dependent upon them.

Click HERE to see a photo gallery from the event

Special recognition to our event’s donors and volunteers: