Citing 2014 as a landmark year for the Gulf Seafood Institute (GSI), the organization’s Executive Director Margaret Henderson touted the year as a time for tremendous growth and groundbreaking successes in the organization’s recently published first annual report.

“This past year has proved to be a time of tremendous growth in terms of association membership, formalization of GSI’s organizational structure, development of our Strategic Plan, and, perhaps most importantly, huge strides forward in our work to become the leading advocate on behalf of the entire Gulf seafood community,” said Henderson in her director’s letter.

Beginning last February during GSI’s inaugural “Walk on the Hill,” the organization spearheaded a yearlong effort to obtain $2 million in federal funding for an electronic data collection program in the Gulf charter-for- hire community. It coordinated efforts with dozens of stakeholders, including charter associations, private businesses and non-profits, to communicate with Congress and federal agencies regarding the importance of this program. As the final act of the 2014 legislative year, Congress passed the FY 2015 Omnibus Appropriations Act which included $2 million in funding – a great step towards better management of the Gulf Red Snapper fishery.

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