These personalities will soon be featured in a public-awareness campaign promoting Florida seafood products and the “working waterfronts” where the state’s fishing heritage is preserved and cultivated. Capts. Sig Hansen and Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand — well-known skippers of “Deadliest Catch” were among the three. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson, whose department promotes the state’s agriculture and seafood industries and helps administer the state’s Working Waterfronts Program, said he appreciates the popular fishing celebrities’ willingness to assist with Florida’s efforts.
Bronson informed whether fishing in subfreezing temperatures in the Bering Sea or in balmy waters off the Florida coast, America’s commercial fishermen understand the hard work that goes into bringing in their catch. He added that in recent years, hurricanes have damaged fishing fleets, equipment and processing infrastructure, cheap seafood imports have flooded U.S. markets, and soaring fuel prices have drastically increased our fishermen’s cost of doing business.
The television public service announcements featuring the three fishing captains are expected to start airing statewide in December. Images of Hansen, captain of the “Northwestern,” and the Hillstrand brothers, co-captains of the “Time Bandit,” will also appear in print and Web-based media.
