MIAMI, FL-The Port St. Lucie-based Bandit Fishing Team, twice recipient of the Southern Kingfish Association (SKA) Angler of the Year title, has welcomed aboard ACR Electronics, Inc. for the 2010 tournament season as the team's official safety gear sponsor.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based ACR Electronics, regarded internationally as the leader in safety and survival technologies, is outfitting Bandit Captain Ron Mitchell and teammates Jaime Fortwangler and Jason Powell with a boatload of gear for the team's new 36-foot Invincible, including an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) as well as an emergency ditchbag with strobes and rescue lighting products and a searchlight.
ACR (www.acrelectronics.com) is also one of the sponsors for the 2010 SKA National Championship's Mercury Tournament Trail, which commences its 2010 tournaments this year in Key West and concludes in Biloxi, Mississippi. The Bandit Fishing Team will be defending their 2009 Angler of the Year Title in 2010 by participating in five Pro SKA events throughout the country and approximately fifteen divisional tournaments in Florida.
"With a growing emphasis on safety, we decided to reach out to the best known and most respected name in the safety and survival industry-ACR Electronics," said Mitchell, a Palm Beach Sheriff's Office detective. "Our team is going to be spending a lot of time on the water in 2010 and it just makes good common sense to carry gear that will quickly and effectively call for help in the case of an emergency."
ACR EPIRBs and PLBs, unlike other recently introduced personal tracking gadgets, transmit signals on internationally recognized distress frequencies. NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) monitors the 406 MHz signal and the Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking System (COSPAS-SARSAT) detects and locates distress signals and forwards the information directly to the Coast Guard. GPS coordinates greatly assist search and rescue crews, and in the event GPS isn't acquired, position can be calculated through Doppler Shift as a reliable backup.
NOAA has reported that in 2009, COSPAS-SARSAT assisted in the rescue of 152 people in 61 incidents at sea. Worldwide, the COSPAS-SARSAT system is credited with rescuing more than 26,000 people since the program's inception in 1982. Of that number, more than 6,000 persons were rescued in the U.S.
Following the tragic death of three fishermen last year in the Gulf of Mexico, several charter fishing captains have urged fellow fishermen and recreational boaters to carry satellite detectible emergency beacons when they venture offshore.
"Honestly, if I had a choice between a lifejacket and an EPIRB, it would be the EPIRB every time," said Captain Allen Walburn, who operates seasonal fishing charters out of Naples, Florida and Kodiak Island, Alaska.
Walburn's fishing charter vessels are required for USCG inspection, which mandates carriage of a variety of safety equipment including an EPIRB. It's those un-inspected recreational vessels and small crafts cruising or sailing 15 to 20 miles from the shore that Walburn worries are courting possible disaster.
"When the Coast Guard tests my beacons, I can tell you that within five to ten minutes we are getting a call confirming that the signal was received and relayed by the satellites," he said. "I know the technology works."
An EPIRB/PLB is a satellite-signalling device of last resort, for use when all other means of self-rescue have been exhausted and where the situation is deemed to be grave and imminent, and the loss of life, limb, eyesight or valuable property will occur without assistance. All beacons must be registered online at www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov following purchase. There are no monthly service fees required for 406 MHz beacons.
About ACR Electronics, Inc.
ACR Electronics, Inc. www.acrelectronics.com, designs and manufactures a complete line of safety and survival products including EPIRBs, PLBs, AIS, SART, Strobe Lights, Life Jacket Lights, Search Lights and safety accessories. The quality systems of this facility have been registered by UL to the ISO 9001:2008 Series Standards. Recognized as the world leader in safety and survival technologies, ACR has provided safety equipment to the aviation and marine industries as well as to the military since 1956. The company is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and employs 200 at its manufacturing facility.
About Cobham plc
Cobham plc is an international company engaged in the development, delivery and support of advanced aerospace and defense systems for land, sea, air and space. The company has four divisions that collectively specialize in the provision of components, subsystems and services that keep people safe, improve communications and enhance the capability of aerospace and defense platforms.
About The Southern Kingfish Association:
The Southern Kingfish Association (SKA) was founded in 1991 and has emerged as America's premier saltwater tournament trail. The king mackerel is relatively easy to catch, especially in school size, while the larger kings require skill and patience. Equally beneficial is their abundance, due to sound fisheries management and strong conservation practices among our anglers. King mackerel migrate along the eastern seaboard from Virginia to Florida and throughout the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Texas. The SKA tournament trail follows this pattern.
