Guy Harvey Magazine is focused on fishing, boating, scuba diving, and marine conservation. Portfolios from the world's best fishing photographers, articles on gear, travel, tournaments, apparel, lifestyle, seafood recipes, sustainable fisheries.
Issue link: https://guyharveymag.epubxp.com/i/53451
HEROES IN CONSERVATION WARRIOR CLASS—BILL SHEDD BY GREG JACOSKI The driving force behind the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation is a group of passionate professionals that turn conservation science into real-world success stories. Some call them the Board of Directors. We like to think of them as conservation's gladiators. (Part 2 of an ongoing series.) When most people think of Guy Harvey, the first image that comes to mind is the iconic Guy Harvey T-shirt featuring a brightly colored game fish depicted in vivid detail. The guy behind the Guy T-shirts is AFTCO President and CEO Bill Shedd, who has served on the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation Board of Directors since its inception in 2008, though Shedd's commitment to marine conservation extends far beyond that. AFTCO has a 50-plus year history of manufacturing some of the best fishing tackle and apparel on the market, but it was only after the Shedd family bought the company in 1973 that they have become just as well known for their conservation efforts. Shedd's father, Milt, co-founded SeaWorld, Inc., in 1964 and was a pioneer in the marine conservation field as he started the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, a major research entity that the Shedds still support today. Milt Shedd instilled this passion for conservation in his son early in life and Bill has since made it a life-long pursuit. Shedd is a co-founder of the United Anglers of Southern California, a volunteer driven, non-profit organization dedicated to the enhancement of fishery resources through management, conservation, and education in order to maximize angling opportunities and pass the sport of fishing onto future generations. One of the biggest conservation efforts of UASC is the California white seabass hatchery program. This experimental program involved the release of more than 2,000 juvenile white seabass in Mission Bay, California, in October of 1986. Since then, the group has released more than 300,000 juvenile white seabass into embayments and near-shore coastal areas in Southern California. This is one of the few stocking programs dedicated toward assessing the biological and economic impacts of its releases, and it is the only program of its kind on the West Coast of North America. The hatchery is now capable of producing more than 350,000 juvenile white seabass annually and has significantly helped replenish this formerly depleted stock. Beyond the work with the seabass hatchery, Shedd has contributed thousands of hours of leadership within the sportfishing community, including efforts such as gillnet and longline bans and progress toward creating a Rigs-to-Reefs program in California. Shedd was highly involved in helping to eliminate California's experimental shark longline fishery and for blocking the development of a swordfish and tuna longline fishery. Shedd and AFTCO have been involved with Guy Harvey since 1999, originally becoming the manufacturer of woven shirts and eventually becoming the licensee for all Guy Harvey apparel, including the T-shirts. The Guy Harvey brand name has flourished under Shedd's direction of the clothing line and that has resulted in even bigger contributions to the marine conservation field. AFTCO has become the biggest contributor to the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation and the Guy Harvey Research Institute, not only providing funds, but also directing the research initiatives of the groups. AFTCO was also the biggest