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'Icon' of of recreational angling honored for conservation work

Mike Able, the owner of Haddrell's Point Tackle and Supply, received the Coastal Conservation Association South Carolina's first Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was presented at the organization's first state banquet held in Mount Pleasant in late January.

The organization recognized Able for making a difference for marine conservation by promoting and instilling conservation values in others.

"No one is more deserving of this recognition than Mike," said Tombo Milliken, CCA SC State Chairman. "As a true icon in the South Carolina recreational fishing

community, Mike was there in 1986 when CCA South Carolina began and has been an extremely positive force for CCA SC and the wise management of the resource in this state and beyond."

"If you're passionate enough and live long enough, you might get honored for something," Able said with a laugh. "It's very humbling. They're a great group of people to work with."

Able has been involved with the organization since its inception as part of the Atlantic Coast Conservation Association, which eventually evolved into CCA. He said it began with about 19 people who were concerned that people were catching and selling redfish under the guise of being recreational fishermen.

"I've been working with them ever since," said Able, who has chaired the organization's government relations committee for the past five years. "I'm still on the state board and I've been on the executive committee since the beginning.

"We've got a lot done, and that's a credit to the volunteers and members. That's the driving force. All the folks in CCA SC are passionate about fishing."

"Just in the last 10 years, it would be almost impossible to list all of the times Mike has unselfishly supported programs that benefit South Carolina's saltwater anglers," said Scott Whitaker, CCA SC executive director.

"We are proud to have known and worked with him all of these years."

Able touted CCA SC's latest initiative known as the Topwater Action Campaign, which started out as an "adopt a creek" program involved with recovering and replanting oyster shells in the waterways.

"We've worked with DHEC and DNR and identified four creeks where the water quality is too poor, and our goal is to recover those creeks," he said, stating several reasons for the degradation. "We'll probably start on one, and the goal is to recover some of those creeks and bring back the water quality to a recovered state and ultimately put back in oyster shells."

Information on CCA South Carolina is available online at www.ccasouthcarolina.com.

Source: The Post and Courier