In 2020, On The Water began a new tradition of dedicating The Striper Cup to an organization or individual that best represents the spirit of the Striper Cup: encouraging responsible participation in the striper fishery and striper conservation.

In 2020, we dedicated The Striper Cup to The Berkeley Striper Club, one of the largest and most active surf-fishing clubs in New Jersey. They were one of the first to launch a catch-and-release striper tournament, inspiring other clubs – and The Striper Cup – to do the same.
 
This year, we’ve dedicated The 2021 Striper Cup to the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association, known to many of us as RISAA.

The Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association is a nationally recognized force for marine conservation, sound management of fisheries resources, and the protection of the rights, traditions and the future of recreational fishing.

And, for over 23 years, the force behind RISAA has been their founder and executive director, Stephen Medeiros, who unexpectedly passed away on Monday, September 13 at the age of 72.

Steve worked tirelessly to develop the fishing club into a nationally recognized body consisting of thousands of individual members and a broad alliance of affiliated organizations and coalition partners. His efforts to protect and preserve the marine fisheries of Rhode Island and Southern New England saw his involvement in countless efforts to benefit the recreational fishing community, from safeguarding the future of individual fish species to ensuring shoreline access to an enduring legacy of bringing the joys of fishing to the next generation.

We hereby dedicate the 2021 Striper Cup to the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association in memory of Stephen J. Medeiros.