State Agencies Showing Great Progress on Angler Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation (R3) Recommendations

Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) President’s Task Force on Angler R3 releases 2024 recommendations to continue momentum

In 2016, fishing participation hit a pivot moment—anglers were dropping out of the sport faster than new participants were joining. Since this time, R3 efforts by state agencies have been critical in driving increases in fishing participation—the 2024 Special Report on Fishing reported a record-high 57.7. million Americans went fishing, surpassing participation rates even from the peak years during the COVID shutdown.

A critical tool in improving R3 efforts has been the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (AFWA)’s President’s Task Force on Angler Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation (R3) recommendations for state agencies to help improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their angler R3 efforts to ensure a strong future for fishing participation and subsequently, conservation dollars.

In partnership with AFWA, the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) annually implements the State Angler R3 Scorecard, a self-assessment tool for state agencies to assess progress on these Angler R3 Recommendations. The 2024 Scorecard highlighted instrumental progress on the R3 front, including:

States are hiring dedicated staff for R3 efforts: Six years ago, only 21 states employed a full-time Angler R3 or Angler & Hunter R3 Coordinator/Manager; now 37 states have this position on staff, and 2 other states are in the process of developing or hiring for it. Not long before the 2018 Task Force Recommendations, this position did not exist. States are prioritizing the need to hire marketing staff: 40 states have a full-time marketing manager/director where 6 years ago, only 30 states dedicated full-time staff to this role. States are developing and implementing strategic plans specifically to address R3: The Task Force recommended each state develop an angler R3 plan, complete with desired outcomes and objectives. Presently, 25 states are executing on angler R3 plans, with an additional 14 states in plan development. This is important progress, as 6 years ago, only 11 states were actively implementing R3 plans.   “It’s great to see the progress state agencies have achieved on the R3 front, and continued commitment is key,” said Stephanie Hussey, Senior Director of Government Engagement at RBFF. “The 2024 Special Report on Fishing highlighted the challenges with retaining anglers, emphasizing the importance of effective angler R3 efforts to keep fishing top of mind and support anglers for long-term participation.”

To renew commitment and encourage continued R3 progress, the 2024 AFWA President’s Task Force on Angler R3 developed a new set of recommendations for state agencies. These recommendations build on the previous recommendations and include:

1. Commit to Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Having the data systems, processes and platforms to interact with customers is a must in the digital age. While CRM costs can be challenging, the return on investment is proven and can create critical efficiencies for sustained engagement with audiences. States need to focus efforts on building a strong CRM system that can integrate all events, licensing, marketing, and evaluation data streams into one platform.
2. Commit to Marketing: It is important for states to remain committed to implementing and advancing marketing strategies to meet customers where they are, including via emerging technologies. As technologies like social media change the way people consume news and information, it is vital to keep pace if fishing is to compete among consumers choices of activities.
3. Commit to Evaluation: Evaluation of R3 efforts is critical to ensure the effectiveness and prioritization of agency resources. Successful programs should be strengthened, while those that do not achieve desired outcomes should be modified or eliminated. Establishing evaluation measures to assess outcomes is an essential component of agency R3 efforts.
4. Continue Commitment to Original Task Force Recommendations: The above recommendations will not be successful without a continued commitment to the Task Force’s original recommendations, including dedicated R3 staff and resources. It is important for state agencies to also commit to developing and revising angler R3 plans and to sharing R3 learnings with other states for best practices.

RBFF is committed to supporting state agencies in implementing the Angler R3 Recommendations. RBFF has extensive resources for states including research, grants, R3 plan resources, digital marketing materials, case studies from states R3 efforts and more.

Additionally, RBFF recently created the “Everyone Plays a Role in R3” infographic—a visual that can be used to educate state agency staff about R3, conservation through participation, and how they play a role in it.

If you have questions regarding the Angler R3 Recommendations or RBFF’s state R3 support, please feel free to connect with Stephanie Hussey at shussey@rbff.org for more information.