Park service enlists partners to promote fishing in public waters

The National Park Service has joined several federal agencies and private organizations to promote recreational fishing and boating on public lands and waterways.

The National Marine Manufacturers Association is among the partners on a memorandum of understanding that calls for development and expansion of cooperation on planning and implementing projects that promote boating and fishing.

Through the memorandum, the groups will seek to increase volunteerism on public lands, improve the quality of aquatic and wetland resources, improve fishing, and increase education around fishing and fisheries.

“The National Park Service welcomes more than 300 million visitors to national parks each year, many of whom come to spend time on the water,” said National Park Service deputy director Dan Smith in a statement. “Working with these organizations helps us generate more awareness of park resources and water recreation.”

The addition of the NPS to the MOU comes at a critical time. Participation in fishing has increased for the second straight year, according to the 2018 Special Report on Fishing. Key target audiences including Hispanics, youth, and women are all showing positive trends, placing an added focus on innovative methods to keeping new and diverse audiences engaged in the activity.