TPWD looking for sponsor for ShareLunker program
The ShareLunker program needs a sugar daddy, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation has launched a progressive search to find one.
Run by the Texas Parks Wildlife Department, ShareLunker is spawning and genetics research program that deals specifically with largemouth bass. Heavyweight largemouth bass.
Each year, between Oct. 1 and April 30, ShareLunker solicits anglers to donate Texas caught bass weighing 13 pounds or more to the state for use in its selective breeding program.
The big females are housed at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens, where they are paired in spawning raceways with male suitors that possess superior genetics. The idea is to produce a big batch of supercharged bass for stocking in public reservoirs.
The program has been very well received by the angling public. To date, ShareLunker has taken in nearly 475 bass from 57 public reservoirs and 19 private lakes.
Not surprisingly, ShareLunker has earned boat loads of national attention since in its inception in 1986. In fact, it generates more media coverage each year than any other TPWD program, according to Dick Davis, executive director of the TPWF.
Davis said ShareLunker's name recognition is one of the major selling points the TPWF is using to attract a sponsor to fill the title slot left vacant when beer giant Anheuser-Busch announced it was terminating its 15-year association with the program earlier this year. The announcement came shortly after A-B was sold to Belgian-based InBev in 2008.
"ShareLunker is a wonderful program that has enjoyed great success and gained the previous sponsors associated with it a tremendous amount of media exposure," Davis said. "Together, those things add up to a package that we believe carries a tremendous amount of value that somebody would like to call their own."
A-B began carrying the torch in 1994 which led to the catchy title "Bud ShareLunker" program. During its tenure as title sponsor, the company dumped more than $15 million into the TPWF in support of more than a dozen programs aimed at making Texas a premier destination to hunt, fish and enjoy the outdoors.
About $2 million was spent in support of the ShareLunker program alone. A-B donations also helped the program build an endowment fund totaling more than $750,000. Interest earned on the fund can be used for purchasing hatchery equipment and other program necessities.
It would nice if the TPWF were able to nail down a title sponsor as generous as A-B was, but considering the current economic climate, that may not happen.
Regardless, gaining naming rights associated with the one-of-a-kind fisheries program won't come cheap, as outlined by a Request For Proposals (RFP) sent out via e-mail to hundreds of media outlets and prospective sponsor candidates on June 8.
According to the document, the ShareLunker title sponsorship will be sold to the highest bidder, so long as a series of guidelines are met.
"Usually, a Request for Proposals invites respondents to apply for funding," said Davis. "But because of ShareLunker's tremendous popularity and visibility, we think asking potential sponsors to compete for the right to call it their own is worth exploring. If a potential sponsor is proactive enough to submit a proposal, especially during slow economic times, that would indicate they feel the program is a perfect match for them. Therefore, they would make an excellent partner."
At the heart of the RFP is money. A prospective title sponsor must be willing to commit a minimum of $75,000 annually for three years to enable the ShareLunker program to achieve its strategic goals. Among other things, those goals include:
* Producing more big bass for anglers to catch and ultimately a world record bass from Texas.
* Enhancing focus on genetics and selective breeding.
* Increased production and stocking of lunker fingerlings -- as many as 500,000 annually.
* Increasing public awareness of the program and increasing participation.
* Increasing the survival of donated ShareLunkers.
* Increasing the education value of the ShareLunker program by developing an education program for youth.
There are a number of well-heeled sporting goods chains with strong connections in Texas that would be a good fit with the program. Bass Pro Shops is a legitimate candidate. So are Cabelas, Gander Mountain and Academy.
Another is Toyota, a company that already has a strong presence in Texas bass fishing through its title sponsorship of the Toyota Texas Bass Classic. The TPWD has received $500,000 in donations from the tournament over the last two years in support of its various conservation programs.
The RFP can be reviewed in full on the TPWF Web site at www.tpwf.org. Deadline for submitting proposals is Aug. 3. Davis said the winning proposal will be selected on Aug. 17.
Matt Williams' e-mail address is mattwilliams@netdot.com.
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