Yamaha Donates Outboards to NOAA Protected Resource Division

KENNESAW, GA — Yamaha donated five F40 four-stroke outboards to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric (NOAA®) National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) Protected Resource Division (PRD), which is the most recent initiative in a long-term effort by Yamaha to protect marine life and encourage conservation on the California Coast.

The outboards will be installed on five West Coast stranding and entanglement response network rescue vessels, which will be used to safely and efficiently respond to the many reports of stranded and entangled marine mammals all along the Calif. coast.

“Yamaha’s commitment to the health of our nation’s fisheries and all coastal resources is the driving force behind the donation of these outboards,” said Ben Speciale, Yamaha Marine Group President. “The teams that will be using the outboards for marine mammal rescue contribute greatly to the Calif. coastline, and we are proud to support their efforts.”

Yamaha Marine will provide and install the five outboards on vessels for Calif. marine mammal stranding and large whale entanglement response networks including: SeaWorld Rescue, Pacific Marine Mammal Center®(PMMC), Marine Animal Rescue (MAR), Channel Islands Marine and Wildlife Institute (CIMWI), and Northcoast Marine Mammal Center (NMMC).

“We would like to express our sincere gratitude for Yamaha’s support and assistance through the donation of these outboards,” said Penny Ruvelas, Long Beach Office Branch Chief, Protected Resources Division. “It is important that the marine mammal rescue teams can navigate the Calif. coastline safely as they respond to calls and reports. Yamaha has enabled these teams to complete their tasks with greater efficiency.”

In a related effort, Yamaha has been working with industry and conservation organizations, such as the American Sportfishing Association® (ASA) and the Coastal Conservation Association® (CCA), to phase out the use of large-mesh drift gill gillnets often used in commercial swordfish fishing along the Calif. Coast.

Yamaha is encouraging the passage of S. 2773 and H.R. 5638, the Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act. This federal legislation aims to phase out the use of indiscriminate mile-long large-mesh drift gillnets often used in commercial swordfish fishing on the Calif. Coast. If passed, the legislation will help transition Calif. coast fisheries away from gillnets to more sustainable gear types. Yamaha encourages anglers to support S. 2773 and H.R. 5638 by visiting bassforsalt.com or KeepAmericaFishing.org and sending a prewritten letter to members of Congress.

“Removing this destructive gear from West Coast waters and shifting the fishery to more benign methods is a high priority for our CCA California chapter. The support of conservation-minded companies such as Yamaha is simply invaluable to their efforts, and to our shared goal of healthy marine resources,” said Pat Murray, president of CCA National. “These kinds of partnerships are vital to conserving our marine resources, and ensuring anglers’ access to them.”

“On behalf of California saltwater anglers and the marine resource, thank you Yamaha for your generosity and leadership,” said Bill Shedd, Chairman of CCA California.

“Yamaha Marine continues to be an industry leader in supporting the conservation of our nation’s fisheries resources,” said ASA President Glenn Hughes. “The Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act is a bipartisan effort to end the use of destructive drift gillnets on the West Coast, and we are excited to work with Yamaha Marine to ensure its passage.”

In addition to these efforts, Yamaha has been an active supporter of the Marine Sanctuary System, also part of NOAA®, through participation in the Sanctuary System Business Advisory Council. In the weeks to come, Yamaha and NOAA® will announce additional Yamaha initiatives supporting the Marine Sanctuary System in Calif.

Yamaha Marine products are marketed throughout the United States and around the world. Yamaha Marine Group, based in Kennesaw, Ga., supports its 2,000 U.S. dealers and boat builders with marketing, training and parts for Yamaha’s full line of products and strives to be the industry leader in reliability, technology and customer service. Yamaha Marine is the only outboard brand to have earned NMMA®’s C.S.I. Customer Satisfaction Index award every year since its inception. Visit www.YamahaOutboards.com.

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