FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., March 27 /PRNewswire/ -- West Marine, a major retailer of fishing tackle and marine products coast-to-coast, has awarded FishingLife Inc. the exclusive contract to provide technology and fulfillment services for its nationwide online fishing tackle sales.

Brand name tackle products from FishingLife Inc. -- including the full Black Bart line -- will complete West Marine's other online offerings, which include an extensive inventory of marine and boat accessories. West Marine customers can choose "Fishing" from a menu on the West Marine homepage at www.westmarine.com .

FishingLife Inc. will provide ongoing development, management, operations, and product fulfillment services for West Marine's online tackle megastore. Orders will be processed and delivered from FishingLife's fulfillment center.

"We chose FishingLife because we believe they provide the best quality, selection and service for fishing tackle in the industry," says Michelle Farabaugh, senior vice president of marketing and strategic planning for West Marine. "FishingLife also has an excellent technology infrastructure that will support our needs and speed our time to market."

FishingLife, through its Tanner Tackle division, has been servicing West Marine's bricks and mortar stores for many years. With the FishingLife deal announced today, that relationship has now been significantly expanded.

"We are very pleased to announce this exclusive agreement with West Marine," says FishingLife founder and chief executive officer David Raehpour. "This relationship demonstrates our continued commitment to provide innovative, quality services to support retailers in our industry.

"West Marine's selection of our TackleZone program for their online tackle store is the strongest indication to date that FishingLife and its business model are gaining significant recognition in the fishing business community," Raehpour says.

With 234 stores in 38 states and Puerto Rico, West Marine is the largest retailer of boating supplies and apparel in the United States, and is more than twice the size of its nearest competitor. West Marine also has the industry's leading worldwide catalog business, offering almost 45,000 products, and has a growing presence on the Internet.

West Marine's Port Supply division provides products and services to boat manufacturers, marine services, commercial vessel operators and government agencies worldwide. West Marine's online store, press releases and financial information are available at www.westmarine.com .

FishingLife Inc. has headquarters in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The company manufactures and distributes brand name fishing tackle products to more than 1,500 retailers in all 50 states and 22 countries. FishingLife also provides private-label online content and commerce solutions that power the web sites of more than 350 retailers, including prominent industry leaders such as West Marine. FishingLife operates web sites located at FishingLife.com, TackleZone.com, and TackleWholesale.com. Its FishingLife ezine and electronic newsletters are read by thousands of anglers every week.