[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 23, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E58]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 THE INDUCTION OF JACQUELINE DOUGLAS INTO THE CALIFORNIA OUTDOORS HALL 
                                OF FAME

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 23, 2013

  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay 
tribute to Jacqueline Douglas upon her induction into the California 
Outdoors Hall of Fame. This is a terrific and well-deserved honor for a 
mainstay of the California sport fishing community
  Jacky, known affectionately as ``Wacky Jacky,'' is a San Francisco 
native and the only female fishing charter boat skipper in the Bay 
Area. She is a legendary voice within San Francisco's sport fishing 
community, respected by fisherman of both Golden Gate and Pacific Coast 
Salmon fisheries, and one of the Bay Area's most passionate voices for 
protecting salmon and their habitat. She is a fervent fighter for 
conservation and water issues, as well as a tremendous advocate for 
salmon, wildlife, and the California coast.
  Jacky has also been a great help to the members of the Bay Area 
congressional delegation in our efforts to achieve a water policy in 
California that will sustain all of our state's interests, including 
the important fisheries that yield so many jobs for people up and down 
the west coast.
  Wacky Jacky was confirmed by a record 40 of 41 votes from peers, the 
highest vote tally of any member to gain entry into the California 
Outdoors Hall of Fame. She was nominated due to the fact that she has 
inspired thousands of Californians to take part in the great outdoors 
and conservation. She was also previously inducted at the International 
Sportsmen's Exposition at Sacramento's Cal Expo and honored by the Bay 
Institute for her dedicated advocacy. And in further recognition of her 
many accomplishments, Jacky was also inducted into her high school's 
Abraham Lincoln High School Wall of Fame in May 2002.
  With 29 years of fishing experience, she is still taking people from 
all over the world fishing out the Golden Gate. At 84, she is a hero 
among her fellow fishing captains, and is one of the most popular party 
boat captains in America. She was the first and remains the only woman 
to own and skipper her own commercial boat in the San Francisco Bay 
Area.
  Douglas passed her Coast Guard examination in 1972, purchased her 
first party boat and has mastered boating, safety and fishing ever 
since. She started fishing on San Francisco area boats in 1955, and 
became a deckhand in 1970, after which she skippered a private boat and 
fished commercially for several years. She became the skipper of the 
Wacky Jacky in 1973, unheard of for a woman at the time.
  Jacky is well known for taking good care of her customers, and says 
the most important thing is, ``to have my customers leave with a smile 
on their face.'' In the meantime, Jacky, continually improves her 
sailing skills, has now earned her master mariner's license which 
permits her to skipper boats up to 100 tons. Over her career, she has 
taken an estimated 150,000 people out to fish.
  Her unique position on the bay has made Jacky a part of what makes 
San Francisco such an incredible place. She has inspired numerous 
newspaper articles as well as television spots on CNN and National 
Geographic. During her career, Jacky has won a number of awards, 
including honors from the Commonwealth Club and the Golden Gate 
Fisherman's Association. Her work with newspapers, radio show hosts and 
TV broadcasts has made it easier for Californians to connect to the 
world of the outdoors. She was married to George Douglas and has four 
daughters.
  I invite our colleagues to join me in congratulating Jacqueline 
Douglas, a woman beloved by all that meet her, for her lifelong efforts 
in fishing and conservation and her dedication to educating others 
about the outdoors.

                          ____________________