CCA Florida Chairman Mark Carter formally presented the fish measuring tools to Commissioners at the September Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) meeting in Jacksonville.
"On behalf of our 10,000 members and as chairman of CCA Florida I was proud to present the donation of "Check-It Stiks" to the law enforcement arm of the FWC. As an organization we know how important their efforts are to the sustainability of our marine resources and just how difficult and, at times, dangerous, their jobs can be," said Mark Carter, CCA Florida Chairman. "The measurement tools are a small token of our thanks for their efforts by hopefully making their duties easier. These dedicated men and women truly "measure up" to the high standards and ideals set forth by the institution they represent."
CCA Florida purchased and donated two hundred light weight non-corrosive aluminum rulers for FWC officers. The rulers will help the officers when making routine boat checks and will be used to accurately measure fish of sizes up to 37 inches. It will also help standardize the measuring devices carried by the FWC officers.
The original idea for the donation came from CCA Florida Naples Chapter volunteer Wright Taylor who stated, "I am very excited to see a project that started locally in the Naples area spread to the whole state. I know that the Check-It Stiks will be a very convincing tool that the officers can use to help them make their cases in court and I'm very happy that CCA Florida has made this possible."
The FWC was so pleased with the donated measuring devices that they purchased Check-It Stiks for the rest of their officers and provided some for their kids education programs throughout the state.
Also in attendance for the presentation of the Check-It Stiks was Jim Duggan, CCA North Florida Chapter President who stated, "We greatly appreciate the work of the FWC to protect the quality and vitality of fish stocks here in North Florida and throughout the state.
