"Kids aren’t fishing like they used to"

The Fish and Boat Commission hears this statement from many anglers. Statistics from the National Survey of Hunting, Fishing and Wildlife Recreation conducted every five years show just how much. In 1980, 26% of the Pennsylvania kids aged 6-15 fished. In 1995, that number climbed to 41%, but dropped to 35% in 2000.

Concerns about declining participation have caused many of us to step up our efforts to reach out to youth. Clearly, even with all the attention paid, the number of young people that fish is declining.

Hundreds of organizations are reaching out to thousands of youngsters each year with a fishing message. They offer everything from weeklong camps to youth field days and derbies, and family oriented fishing events. But as we know, and the data suggests, it’s not enough. Do you agree that we need to do more to reach out to youth—to keep them fishing?

We can do more!

Currently 45,000 children receive the Pennsylvania League of Angling Youth (PLAY) newsletter from the Commission four times a year; 5,000 Pennsylvania schoolteachers have been trained and use the PFBC’s aquatic education curriculum; 400+ PFBC fishing skills instructors teach thousands of children in angling basics annually and the Commission provides equipment and support for 25 free tackle loaner sites statewide. Impressive, but not enough. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is proposing a broad expansion of these and other youth-oriented programs and services, such as:

• Grants to clubs and organizations using best practices in youth programs.
• Training workshops to teach skills and best practices to youth leaders.
• Purchase of equipment and materials for youth angling education programs.
• Development of materials for youth club use and support for implementation of youth programs.
• Special youth-oriented events.

"Do more with less?"

Moving forward carries a price tag, however. Here’s the dilemma: Should the Commission divert resources from current programs to provide even more support to youth education, or should we look for other ways to provide funding to keep our youth involved? In addition to exploring innovative programming for youth, Commission staff will also be looking at new ways to pay for those offerings. The PFBC is funded primarily by user fees in the form of fishing license and boat registration sales. Using that “user play/user pay” model, the most promising source of potential new funding would be the creation of a new, inexpensive junior fishing license aimed at anglers 12-15.

For more details about why a Junior Fishing License is good for the future of fishing...Go to Page 2.