Determining Actionable Strategies for Angler R3

Responsive Management is currently working with the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation on a nationwide study to determine how to keep fishing relevant amid changing national demographics, new technologies, and potential shifts in public opinion and preferences.

In recent years, demographers have identified five key trends that will have important implications on fishing participation in the years to come: an increase in the total population of the United States, and increases in urban residents, minority residents, immigrant residents, and older residents. The first trend is a problem mainly from the standpoint of the urbanization that accompanies an increasing population and likely reductions in access to areas for fishing. As suburbs encroach into formerly rural areas, areas for fishing access will be lost, and the travel distance for fishing may also increase as water bodies closer to urban areas become inaccessible. The other four trends will soon begin impacting agencies’ conception and understanding of “the typical angler” in modern America. These demographic changes reinforce the growing importance of communicating the relevance of fishing to urban, minority, and immigrant audiences, and in retaining or reactivating older participants who may also serve as mentors.

Updated research must also address the emergence of new technologies and determine the extent to which social media platforms and smartphone apps can accomplish the same basic things that were necessary for increasing fishing participation 20 years ago. For example, apps and social media may help to spark interest in fishing through pictures, encourage invitations to fish from friends and family, and encourage purchases through electronic coupons and other resources. Shifts in consumer preferences and their buying habits over the past two decades also underline the need for new data to guide the wise allocation of R3 funds.

The new research will also examine angler R3 needs, priorities, and barriers from the agency perspective. Today, there is growing (but not universal) recognition within the agencies of the need to clearly prioritize R3 by hiring specialists with proper training and backgrounds instead of simply changing the job titles of established employees and assigning them new R3 duties and responsibilities. Agency R3 specialists today must possess talents and skills that in many cases were either irrelevant or nonexistent 20 years ago, such as the ability to move beyond basic aquatic education by engaging with customers online and digitally. New research must address agency needs by determining necessary resources.

This project will use data from surveys and focus groups with U.S. residents and R3 professionals to determine how changing demographics and new technologies impact the ability of agencies to recruit, retain, and reactivate anglers, especially by engaging underserved audiences and addressing their needs. The study will result in actionable strategies for angler R3 that provide a path forward in the modern world, thereby ensuring the relevance of fishing for generations to come.