The Northwest Marine Trade Association and the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation are taking action to insure and expand fishing opportunities, notable actions that benefit dealers and many others.
NMTA, focusing on the importance of fishing to dealers in the Puget Sound region, will hold a special meeting and examination of the association’s sportfishing advocacy work. A highlight will be an assessment of 2024’s angling outlook.
“Fishing is such a critical part of boating in our region,” says NMTA president George Harris. “Any related proposal or activity that could impact it is always on our radar. We want our members to be informed and have input about what we’re doing to advance our fishing, and this meeting will highlight these efforts.”
Leading the meeting will be NMTA’s sportfishing lobbyist Carl Burke. He’ll be accompanied by the association’s sportfishing advisor Pat Pattillo, NMTA’s vice president and director of government affairs Jay Jennings, and Harris. Meetings are slated for two locations Oct. 19: the South Sound meeting at Sportco in Fife at 8 a.m., and the North Sound meeting at Harbor Marine in Everett at 5 p.m.
RSVP to Katie Groseclose at [email protected]. Meeting content questions can be directed to Jennings at [email protected] or Harris at [email protected].
RBFF ATTACKS THE “NATURE GAP”
RBFF is celebrating this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 to Oct. 15) by emphasizing support to minimize the “Nature Gap” by bringing multicultural families into fishing and boating through the George H.W. Bush Vamos A Pescar Education Fund.
(The Nature Gap is a “disparity that disproportionately impacts communities of color and low-income households, denying them the physical, social and emotional benefits of spending time in nature.”)
The education fund was launched in 2014 with a donation from Bass Pro Shops founder and CEO Johnny Morris. It is a grant program to fund state and local initiatives that focus on engaging Hispanic families in fishing, boating and conservation education activities.
More than $1 million has been granted to local organizations across the United States to improve access to fishing and boating. This year alone, more than $109,500 in grants have been awarded, with state fish-and-wildlife agencies required to fully match the amount, bringing the year’s total funding to $221,000 supporting 16 programs in eight states.
Is the program having an impact? Fishing participation among Hispanic communities in the U.S. has grown to a record 5.1 million anglers. But there is plenty of room for growth. According to latest 2020 U.S. Census data, there are 62.1 million Hispanics living in the United States representing 18.9% of the total population, the nation’s second largest racial or ethnic group after non-Hispanic whites.
Hispanics are projected grow up to 24% (some project higher) of the U.S. population, but whatever it will be, this audience is already a major sales target for the marine industry. The need to engage more Hispanics in fishing and boating is obvious.
“Only 18% are first-timers,” says Stephanie Hussey, senior director of government engagement at RBFF. “The George H.W. Bush Vamos A Pescar Education Fund has proven instrumental in bringing communities closer to fishing and boating through conservation education and access to on-the-water opportunities. With such funding, our goal is to make sure future generations can experience the joys of fishing.”
This year’s Vamos A Pescar Education Fund grantees include:
• California: Cast Hope, Friends of Fish, Outdoor Outreach, Reel Guppy Outdoors and Solidarity
• Colorado: Colorado Wildlife Federation
• Florida: Fishing’s Future (Reel Blessed Chapter), Manatee County Natural Resources Department, Miami-Dade Parks Recreation and Open Spaces-EcoAdventures, Pasco County Parks Recreation and Natural Resources, and Tampa Bay Kayak Anglers
• Oklahoma: Scissortail Park Foundation
• Rhode Island: Partnership for Providence Parks
• South Dakota: Augustana University
• Texas: Fishing’s Future
• Virginia: Harrisonburg City Public Schools
