World's First Carbon Neutral Fishing Tournament

The world's first carbon neutral fishing tournament was held January 12th and 13th at the Miami Beach Marina. Twenty-three boats competed in the event, with the winning team catching and releasing 10 fish to take top honors in the Sailfish Tournament. The tournament made a pledge to balance its carbon ledger, using a portion of the proceeds to offset the carbon footprint of the boats participating.

Captain Dan Kipnis, tournament organizer and director-at-large for the Florida Wildlife Federation, an affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation, said that they have a responsibility to protect Florida's coastal waters. He believes sportsmen know climate change threatens the fish they love and the habitats they live in. Offsetting their emissions is one way to show they're protecting the environment for the next generation of anglers.

The tournament is offsetting 200 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, the estimate of what the tournament produced, through AgCert, which will use the funds for an East Coast methane capture project. Methane gas from dairy farms will be converted into electricity, balancing out the tournament's greenhouse gas impact on the environment. Florida seems to be setting an example for other states in their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Just for the record, the United States has roughly 5% of the world's population yet produces 25% of the world's greenhouse gases. I am not as concerned as some about global warming, especially since I took my kids to a camping event in Boone, Iowa over the weekend (heated cabins) and I woke up to a temperature of -12 degrees (real temp not wind chill); however, no matter what, being more responsible with our environment is important and I applaud the organizers of this tournament. Click here for the complete story.