June 4, 2010
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:
We are writing to you on a matter of vital economic importance to the recreational fishing industry. There is an urgent need for immediate federal financial assistance for fishing tackle retailers, guides, charter boat operators, marina operators, fishing event and tournament organizers and related businesses in the Gulf of Mexico region. A post-Memorial Day survey of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida recreational fishing-dependent business owners, conducted by the American Sportfishing Association, found that over 85 percent of the owners surveyed will not survive the oil leak’s fallout without immediate financial assistance. Compared to Memorial Day 2009, overall sales were down an average of 47 percent. In Louisiana, which has borne the brunt of the oil leak’s impact, sales were down an average of 55 percent with some businesses reporting sales as much as 90 percent lower than last year’s Memorial Day weekend. In Florida, sales were down an average of 35 percent, even though the oil leak is still making its way to shore.

The impact on businesses located in the Gulf coast region is felt nationwide by the manufacturers and distributors who supply products to bait and tackle shops, marinas and other recreational fishing-dependent businesses. In the worst case scenario where the entire Gulf of Mexico would be closed to recreational fishing, the loss would be $8.6 million dollars a day.

A substantial percentage of fishing tackle retailers in southern Louisiana are still recovering from the financial impacts of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Ike and Gustav, and many are unable to afford additional loans. Reports we are receiving describe the BP process for financial compensation as slow, inefficient and remarkably inadequate with a ‘one size fits all’ package of $5000 per business for the few who have received a check.

Some of these family-owned businesses along with their employees are now facing the tragic reality that without sufficient emergency financial assistance, the loss of revenue due to the oil leak will force them to go out of business before the end of June. While the longer term impacts of the oil on water quality and sportfish species remain uncertain, we maintain that businesses should not be forced to close prematurely due to this unprecedented disaster, which are compounded by the effects of recent hurricanes.

We appreciate the ongoing efforts in Congress to pass legislation which will provide some financial assistance, but time is of the essence and this process may simply not be finished soon enough to help some of these people maintain their businesses. We ask for your direct intervention to facilitate the financial assistance these people need immediately.

We recommend that:
1. Federal financial assistance be made immediately available to recreational fishing-dependent businesses to help them cover operating and staff costs for May, June and July, 2010.
2. The administration stop referring people to BP for compensation and take charge of the economic compensation efforts directly.
3. The administration develop a long-term financial compensation plan by the end of June 2010 for recreational fishing-dependent businesses which may suffer significant loss of income to cover these losses for the duration of the economic impact resulting from the oil leak.
4. The administration must require BP to repay the U.S. Treasury for all such economic compensation expenditures in keeping with BP’s promises.

Recreational fishing supports over 300,000 jobs in the Gulf coast region with an annual economic impact of $41 billion dollars. The combination of large area fishing closures and anglers staying away due to the oil leak and the subsequent fishing closures is placing a stranglehold on retailers and other recreational fishing-dependent businesses that, in most cases, have no alternative income generating option. The economic ripple effect from the Gulf oil leak may do serious harm to the national fishing tackle industry in the coming months including manufacturers, sales agencies, distributors and others, and this should be taken into account when long-term compensation plans are developed. However, the most pressing matter concerns the family businesses and retailers in the Gulf coast region who are in urgent need of your direct action to help them survive. We ask you to please make this request a priority. We offer you our cooperation and direct involvement if we may be of service to assist in this effort to help our friends who need it the most.

Sincerely,
Dave Pfeiffer, President Shimano American Corporation
Irvine, CA

Gary Zurn, Senior Vice President
Marketing and Dealer Services
Big Rock Sports, LLC
Newport, NC

Jim Martin, Director of Conservation
Berkley Conservation Institute / Pure Fishing
Columbia, SC

Jeff Pontius, President
ZEBCO Brands
Tulsa, OK

Randy Lemcke, Senior Vice President
Plano Molding Company
Plano, IL

Geoffrey Ratte, Sales Manager
Water Gremlin
White Bear Lake, MN

Ray Scott, Founder
Bass Anglers Sportsman Society
Pintlala, AL

Charlie Evans, President and CEO
FLW Outdoors
Benton, KY

Jeff Angers, President
Center for Coastal Conservation
Baton Rouge, LA

David Bulthuis, Vice President of Sales
Costa
Daytona Beach, FL

Bob Eakes, President
Red Drum Tackle Shop, Inc.
Buxton, NC

Christopher Horton, Conservation Director
ESPN Outdoors/BASS
Celebration, FL

Richard A. Powell, President
Mason Tackle Company
Otisville, MI

Paul Schluter, President
St. Croix Rods
Park Falls, WI

Mike Nussman, President and CEO
American Sportfishing Association
Alexandria, VA

Jeff Crane, President
Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation
Washington, DC

Bill Shedd, President
AFTCO Manufacturing Company
Irving, CA

Tom Mackin, President
Rapala USA
Minnetonka, MN

Richard Pool, President
Pro-Troll Fishing Products
Concord, CA

Takashi Inagaki, President
Daiwa Corporation
Cerritos, CA

Peter F. Foley, President
Boone Bait Company, Inc.
Winter Park, FL

cc: The Honorable Harry Reid, Majority Leader, United States Senate
The Honorable Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader, United States Senate
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable John Boehner, Republican Leader, U.S. House of Representatives