'Tight Lines' wins Award The West Palm Beach Fishing Club (WPBFC) received the President’s Fishery Conservation Award at the 2017 American Fisheries Society (AFS) Annual Meeting in Tampa. The award recognizes singular accomplishments or long-term contributions that advance aquatic resource conservation at a regional or local level.“We applaud the distinguished contri- butions of the West Palm Beach Fishing Club and thank them for their con- tinuous conservation ef- forts,” said AFS President Joe Margraf.  Development a nd promotion of the red release pennant in the late 1930s, signifying a caught and released sailfish, is among the WPBFC’s most significant contributions to billfish conservation.  The red release pennant helped launch the catch & release ethic for pelagic fish and continues to be used today by anglers fishing around the world.  The first officially permitted artificial reef in Florida, the East Palm Beach Reef, was established by the club in the 1960s.  The WPBFC remains actively engaged in marine and estuarine habitat enhance- ment efforts.  Other prominent conservation efforts through the years have included opposition to the Cross State Barge Canal, support of the federal Wild and Scenic River des- ignation for the Loxahatchee River and advocating for the sustainable management of many varieties of fish including largemouth bass, snook, redfish, sailfish and swordfish. “We could not have done snook research on the east coast during the later 1970s and 1980s without the WPBFC.  Nor would we have been able to sonic track sailfish, the first large pelagic fish species so tracked, if not for members of the Fishing Club.  Today there are all sorts of sonic tag- ging and satellite tagging programs.  As I was told at an AFS meeting in Monterey in the 1990s our work, thanks again to members of the Club, was pioneering work that laid the ground work for all that has come since” said Ed Irby, former Assistant Director of Marine Resources for the State of Florida. Today the Club promotes a strong conservation ethic far beyond the Palm Beaches. Its close and long associations with the scientific community, plus other organizations such as Wild Oceans, The Billfish Foundation and the Coastal Conservation Association, demonstrate unrivaled commitment.  Club Receives AFS Honor About AFS: Founded in 1870, the American Fisheries Society is the world’s oldest and largest fisheries science society. The mission of AFS is to improve the conservation and sustainability of fish- ery resources and aquatic ecosystems by advancing fisheries and aquatic science and promoting the development of fisheries profes- sionals. With five journals and numerous books and conferences, AFS is the leading source of fisheries science and management information in North America and around the world. RivieraBeachMarina.com Palm Beach County's premier marina for long term, seasonal, monthly, and transient New floating docks and fuel now available! Perfect jump-off spot for the Bahamas and fishing Paddleboard and kayak rentals, dinner cruises, wi-fi, and Ship's Store onsite WATER. Take to the The Florida Outdoor Writers Association (FOWA) has once again honored the WPBFC’s Tight Lines Magazine with an Excellence in Craft Award. FOWA presented its Best Conservation Story Award to WPBFC President Tom Twyford for the Tight Lines article, How to Kill an Estu- ary…and How to Save it. The story highlighted the complex environmental challenges of water management in Florida and outlined specific efforts that should be initiated to help reduce impacts to coastal estuaries. The complete story can be found on the WPBFC’s website on the advocacy page.