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RBFF is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase participation in recreational angling and boating, thereby protecting and restoring the nation’s aquatic natural resources.
In a year marked by instability, families nationwide increasingly found time to connect by picking up a rod and reel. Research conducted by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) found that fishing promotes wellness, fosters bond with family members, and forges a deep connection with nature that many Americans strive to achieve together.
Members of the RBFF board and team joined a recent fishing and boating excursion led by DC’s Dept. of Energy & Environment in Washington, D.C.. The team enjoyed a beautiful day on and the Potomac River, taking the opportunity to create authentic content to promote local fishing and boating events.
Imagine you go to a store to buy gardening supplies for Spring planting. But while there, you find out none of the gloves are your size. When you ask a question about shrubs, the sales associate questions your interest in gardening and speaks mainly to your spouse, assuming he or she is the true gardener. After such a frustrating experience, you may feel discouraged about pursuing your hobby altogether, right? Now replace gardening with fishing.
A great opportunity to grow fishing and boating participation lies in engaging women – to get there, we need to start with helping them feel they belong.
Agency officials from Texas to Florida to Louisiana and Montana grappled with a burgeoning marketing conundrum: TikTok, the preferred social media platform of Gen Z, is showing much promise in connecting with new outdoor enthusiasts. However, across the table, TikTok is banned by several state governments. Where do they go from here?
The future growth of sportfishing flows through women and people of color. Combined they represent more than $3 trillion in disposable income. Per capita, each new woman angler represents an average of $1,000 in earnings for tackle dealers and manufacturers. And though growth has been substantial in the past decades, those anglers remain significantly untapped.
The fishing industry has seen an influx of female participation over the last several years. But it’s not sticking. Women make up nearly 45% of newcomers to fishing each year, but they represent just 37% of participants overall.
As we kick off 2023, many professionals may be setting new goals, trying new tactics or taking on new projects. But for the fishing and boating industry, keeping the same record-setting wave of participants actively fishing should be a top priority.
The release of the Special Report on Fishing 2022 is an important milestone each year to reflect on the comprehensive trends and growth around fishing and boating, and for the industry to plan and strategize for the future. No other audience is more important in this exercise than young anglers.
Female participation in fishing has been steadily growing over the past decade. Despite a small dip year over year, in 2021, 19.4 million females participated in fishing – that’s a nearly 17 percent increase over the past 5 years and a 24 percent increase since 2011.
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