Here’s a well-deserved salute to some of the organizations that are highlighting National Fishing & Boating Week with special events and promotions.
First, America’s Boating Club kicked off “Boat Live 365,” a comprehensive year-round campaign designed to educate boaters on a variety of safety topics. America’s Boating Club is a trademark of the U.S. Power Squadrons, the nation’s largest and oldest volunteer, boating safety nonprofit.
Boat Live 365 incorporates a one-stop collection of educational resources in collaboration with marine industry partners to promote the value of safe boating — available free of charge to individuals or groups that advocate for boating safety.
Available online, the materials are sourced from such organizations as the Coast Guard and the National Weather Service. This gives dealers easy access to first-class safety information for their customers, especially new boaters.
The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation is saluting National Fishing & Boating Week with “Fearless Fishing Line,” which, in partnership with Berkley Pure Fishing, highlights the transformative benefits of fishing and boating for women. Research conducted by RBFF and Ipsos has shown that women who fish are happier and healthier than those who do not.
The program includes an online sweepstakes that allows anyone a chance to win the limited-edition Berkley fishing line. The promotion runs until June 18, and select winners will also receive a $25 debit card to purchase a fishing license.
“When RBFF and Take Me Fishing approached us to partner on Fearless Fishing Line, we knew it was something we wanted to tackle,” said Kimberly Hoffman, Pure Fishing director of marketing and communications. “Creating this line and the campaign around it is another important step toward increasing women’s participation in fishing and creating a more diverse, inclusive angling environment.”
The Fearless Fishing Line promotion is an extension of RBFF’s Take Me Fishing campaign and its newest outreach, Find Your Best Self on the Water, launched May 1.
Meanwhile, calls are out to mark the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. This landmark legislation, passed in 1973, was intended to be a powerful and effective tool for conserving species and habitats.
Under the act, the NOAA Fisheries is responsible for the “protection, conservation and recovery” of more than 160 endangered and threatened marine and anadromous species.
The intent and resulting actions taken under the ESA have benefitted boating and fishing interests in many ways, but there have been legitimate controversies. In many instances, critics have contended that actions resulting from an ESA listing have not fairly or adequately weighed the negative impacts on human activities. They say there must be a balance.
The ESA generates opposition because its enforcement dictates changes in land use and triggers restrictions covering huge areas of navigable waters. The continuous battle over more boating restrictions for manatees in Florida is a good example, as is the current clash over proposed speed restrictions to protect right whales from vessel strikes.
The ESA encompasses two categories to classify a species faced with the possibility of extinction. The categories are “Endangered Species,” which is applied to any species considered to be on its way to extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range, and the “Threatened,” which refers to any species “likely to become” endangered in the near future.
The administration of the ESA involves two federal agencies: the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service. The former is responsible for land and freshwater species and migratory birds. The latter addresses species that live in saltwater environments.
There are 256 threatened species in the United States (121 animals, 135 plants). The total number of listed species is 1,180 (478 animals, 702 plants), which includes both U.S. and foreign species. Overall, plants represent the largest group, followed by birds, fish, mammals and clams/mussels.
