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1947-1948
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Standardized
rules for the taking of record fish by under
water spearfishing among Pacific coast dive
clubs in California and Washington headed by
Ralph Davis and the LA Fire Department
Neptunes fish records committee, working with
Jack Prodanovich and Wally Potts of San Diego
Bottom Scratchers.
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.
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1948-1949
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Distributed basic
rules for world records to Spain, France,
Italy, and Australia and applied to the
International Game Fish Association for the
Maintenance of world records under these
rules.
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.
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1950
.
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Founded the
International Underwater Spearfishing
Association in May and obtained written
representation for the I.U.S.A. of Cosimo de
Medeci in Italy, Jacques Yves Cousteau in
France and Luis Puyo in Spain in addition to
representation in seventeen other countries.
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.
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1950-1954
.
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Established
Underwater Spearfishing Championships in
Algeria, New Caledonia, Ceylon (Shrilanka) and
the U.S. First International Rules of the
I.U.S.A. were used as a basis for National
Championships by most countries.
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.
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1950
.
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With the
cooperation and invaluable assistance of Bill
Schroeder of the Helms Athletic Foundation and
Fred Beitz of the A.A.U.( Amateur Athletic
Union), established the 1st U.S. National
Underwater Spearfishing Championships (Oct.
15, 1950).
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.
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1952
.
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With the
cooperation of the Helms Athletic Foundation,
established the U.S. National Underwater
Spearfishing Athlete of The Year Award.
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.
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1952
.
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Cooperated with
Ernesto Zaragosa of Mexico in the
establishment of the Inter-America Underwater
Spearfishing Championships.
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.
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1953
.
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With the
cooperation of the Boys Clubs of America,
established the first U.S. Jr. Underwater
Spearfishing Championships in Laguna Beach,
Ca.
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.
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1954
.
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Established
Underwater Spearfishing as a National A.A.U.
sport in the United States.
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.
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1955
.
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Served as first
National A.A.U. chairman for underwater
spearfishing.
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1956
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Brought the
A.A.U. of the U.S. into membership with the
(CIPS) Confederation International Peche
Sportive.
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1955-1958
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Chairman of the
Champions to Europe Committee.
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.
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1958-1959
.
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Chairman, Public
Relations Committee, National A.A.U.
Competitive Skin Diving Committee.
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.
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1960-1964
.
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Olympic planning
3rd Inter-America Championships. Guaymas,
Mexico.
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.
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1965-1968
.
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Olympic planning
4th Inter-America Championships. Ralph Davis
had a dream through the IUSA of establishing
the sport of spearfishing as an Olympic event,
and after years of exhausting effort never
realized his goal. To my knowledge, the IUSA
has in its past awarded the largest world
spearfishing record, (now protected in most
waters around the world) an 804 lb. Atlantic
Spotted Bass, Jewfish, Mero, (Epinepnelus
itajara) speared off Crandon Park by Don
Pinder in 1949 with an Hawaiian Sling. The
IUSA also awarded the largest world
spearfishing record Tuna, a 398 lb. Bluefin
speared at Guadalupe Island by Terry Maas in
1982, and is still the largest Bluefin Tuna
ever taken in the Pacific by a sport
fisherman, hook and line or by spear.
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1968-1996
.
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Ralph Davis
continued to register a number of world
records like the Terry Maas 398 lb. Bluefin
Tuna, the 84 lb. Wahoo and 104 lb. Stripped
Marlin by Ron Mullins, Peter McGonagale’s 70
lb. Dolphin-fish, Mark Barville's 260 lb.
Yellowfin Tuna, Mark Steele's 68 lb. Northern
Yellowtail, Rene Rojas's 81 lb. Southern
Yellowtail, and of course the magic 80 lb.
White Sea Bass by Skip Hellen. In 1996, the
IUSA began a reorganization to revive an
institution that had lost most of it’s
original board members to death after almost
fifty years of service. Ralph Davis was the
original IUSA founder and is still one of our
most respected board members. On January 1,
1997 the IUSA started a new era, IUSA 21st
century, and we already have one new 21st
century world record White Sea Bass.
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.
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2001
.
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Ralph Davis
passes away.
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Ralph Davis and grouper
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Ralph Davis and yellowtail
in 1947 |
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