The fourth annual Delmarva Charter Boat Operators Workshop will be held on Thursday, March 31, in Ocean City, Maryland. The one-day workshop will run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn on 67th Street in Ocean City.
Organized jointly by the Sea Grant programs at the University of Delaware, University of Maryland, and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, the workshop will focus on business, safety, and fishery resource issues pertaining to the charter and head boat industry. Last year, over 50 charter boat captains attended the popular program.
“We encourage all charter and head boat captains and owners to attend, as well as those people interested in entering the charter industry,” says John Ewart, aquaculture and fisheries specialist with the University of Delaware Sea Grant Marine Advisory Service. “The workshop provides a great opportunity for boat owners to come together and discuss mutual issues and challenges.”
“Business Management” will highlight the first half of the workshop. Jay Tawes, from Tawes Insurance Company in Crisfield, Maryland, will review insurance requirements and how to obtain the best coverage for charter businesses. Robert Mennona, a financial consultant with Smith Barney - Citigroup Global Markets, Inc., in Paramus, New Jersey, will discuss ways to finance capital improvement projects, and Jeff Pruitt, a certified public accountant with the Pigg, Krahl, and Stern Company in Ocean City, will provide valuable insight on accounting practices and tax issues.
In the second morning session, “Marketing Your Charter Business,” Dennis Suler, managing editor of The Fisherman Magazine, will discuss strategies for developing your business. Nancy Dofflemeyer, from the Harrison Group in Ocean City, will review marketing concepts, and Lee Larkin, marine education coordinator with the Virginia Sea Grant Program in Gloucester Point, will discuss Web page design.
Following lunch, Lt. Chris Lucero, of the Eastern Shore Search and Rescue Team in Chincoteague, Virginia, and Dennis Spain, of the Fifth Coast Guard District in Portsmouth, Virginia, will address vessel safety, homeland security, and other related safety issues.
The second half of the workshop will focus on “Fisheries Resource Issues and Your Charter Business.” This session will include a talk on the status, trends, and current issues facing striped bass stocks. In addition, Andrij Horodysky, from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science in Gloucester Point, will provide an update on the current status of blue marlin and white marlin and research involving the use of circle hooks.
The workshop will conclude with a round-table discussion for Delmarva charter boat captains on local topics and concerns. Registration for the workshop, which includes lunch and resource materials, is $30 per person. On-site registration will be taken as space allows, but the fee will increase to $35. To register, make your check payable to “University of Delaware” and mail it to Rita Baty, University of Delaware Sea Grant Program, 700 Pilottown Road, Lewes, DE 19958 — ATTN: Charter Boat Workshop. The registration deadline is Friday, March 18.
For more information, contact John Ewart at (302) 645-4060 or ewart@udel.edu or visit www.ocean.udel.edu/getinvolved.