CITY OF MIAMI 2008 NATIONAL MARINA DAY & MIAMI FISHING TOURNAMENT

It was a beautiful day for the City of Miami's annual National Marina Day celebration, and the second annual InterCity Tire Miami Fishing Tournament off the waters of Miamarina at Bayside on August 9th. The fishing tournament, presented by the City of Miami Marinas and Youth Fishing Foundation, was the headline event in celebration of the seventh annual National Marina Day.

National Marina Day is an annual celebration of the important role marinas plays in waterfront communities all across America. Each day, marinas throughout this country serve as safe, family-friendly gateways to boating and stewards of the environment.

Miamarina at Bayside hosted the festivities which were kicked off on Thursday August i h when a group of Miami children participating in City summer recreation programs and the Miami Police Athletic League were treated to a day of fishing on Biscayne Bay, courtesy of the City of Miami, Shake-A-Leg Miami, and Youth Fishing Foundation. The kids had a wonderful time, practicing catch and release techniques, and were provided with Certificates of Participation and new rod/reel combos from Youth Fishing Foundation. At the Tournament Captain's Meeting, held later that day, the various Tournament Teams and their guests were provided with refreshments, gifts and giveaways, and an excellent meal.

On Saturday August 9th, Miamarina hosted an open house for patrons of the city's three municipal marinas and visitors, where refreshments, informational literature on such topics as slip availability, hurricane preparedness, clean boating habits, and manatee protection were provided. Representatives of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary and The Ocean Conservancy were present to teach everyone about safe boating and environmental stewardship of our waters. Miamarina and Dinner Key Marina have been designated "Clean Marinas" by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for their efforts to reduce water pollution, and the City provided information on how boaters can help to improve the quality of Florida's waters and natural resources. As part of the day's events, a plaque commemorating National Day signed by Florida Governor Charlie Crist was presented to the City of Miami's Marinas Manager Stephen Bogner from Brad St. Coeur, representing the Association of Marina Industries National Marina Day Organizing Comittee. For the kids, Youth Fishing Foundation provided a touch-tank where they could learn about and feel various species of marine life.

Several awards were given out with first place going for the second consecutive year to team Fish Up. Fish Up's team members were Jorge Torres Jr., Jorge Torres Sr., Ryan Smith Jr. and Ryan Smith Sr. They definitely had their lucky charms on board as Ryan Smith Jr. also took home top junior award. Second place went to team That's What She Said.

The tournament's net proceeds, projected to be $17,000, benefited the Youth Fishing Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting education, conservation, citizenship, and fun among our children and their families through fishing adventures.

Due to the tournament's success, the City of Miami Marinas and Youth Fishing Foundation are looking forward to their 3rd tournament next summer.