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98TH ANNUAL GICA CONVENTION HONORS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
OF KING FISHER
 FRIENDSWOOD,
TEXAS, August 26, 2003 - King Fisher of Port Lavaca, Texas, was
honored at the annual convention of the Gulf Intracoastal Canal
Association, August 20-22 in New Orleans, LA. The 3-day meeting
was dedicated to Fisher, in recognition of his lifelong contributions
to the marine industry along the Gulf Coast.
Fisher founded King Fisher Marine Service in 1940.
He built much of his own equipment by hand from salvaged parts,
including his first towboat, and later, his first dredge. Over the
course of his 58 years in business, he built a multi-million-dollar
operation and the largest marine dredging company in the state of
Texas. Under his leadership, the company dredged in almost every
section of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway from Brownsville, Texas
to St. Marks, Florida; performed original dredging for the Alcoa
plant in Point Comfort, Texas; was a major contractor for the Victoria
Barge Canal; won many contracts for dredge work along the Houston
Ship Channel; and provided material and labor at no cost to restore
a 2000-foot stretch of beach in Calhoun County. Though the company
was sold in 1998, it continues today as the primary contractor for
maintenance of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, and remains the largest
marine contracting company of its type in Texas.
Fisher was the guest of honor at the convention's
opening reception Wednesday, August 20. Other honorees included
Capt. Jeffery Jewell, recipient of the association's Dale Miller
Award for heroism on the waterway. Jewell is credited with saving
the lives of as many as 15 people in the Victoria Barge Canal when
Hurricane Claudette struck the area on July 15, 2003. Five vessels
sunk in the canal during the storm. Leroy Goodson and Mike Campbell
both received life member status for their contributions to the
association.
The convention continued Thursday and Friday with
presentations from Valsin Marmillion representing America's Wetlands;
Chris Johnsen representing Waterways Work!; and attorneys Matt Woodruff
and Jim Blackburn discussing the industrial versus environmental
concerns of the waterway. Capt. Alistair Macnab presented information
on the Port of Houston MAPS System, and representatives from the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Coast Guard spoke to issues
within their respective districts.
The Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association meets annually
to provide a forum of exchange between various waterway interests.
Manufacturers, port authorities, navigation districts, suppliers,
distributors, carriers and others attend, as well as representatives
from government agencies including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
and the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association was established
in 1905 in Victoria, Texas, and serves the five Gulf Coast states.
It is largely responsible for facilitating construction of today's
Gulf Intracoastal Waterway - the third-busiest waterway in the nation.
It is the only organization whose primary purpose is to insure the
waterway is operated, maintained and improved to provide safe, efficient,
and environmentally-sound water transportation.
For further information, contact:
Raymond Butler, Executive Director
Gulf Intracoastal Waterway Association
Ph: 281.996.6915 / Fax: 281.992.4383
E-mail: info@gicaonline.com
Web: www.gicaonline.com
Photo identification: Jewel Fisher stands by
as husband King accepts a plaque commemorating dedication of the
98th Annual GICA Convention to his name.
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