ALEXANDRIA, VA (June 6, 2024) – The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) today announced its new Take Me Fishing™ Second Catch campaign encouraging Dads and daughters to reconnect on the water this Father’s Day and throughout the summer season. Aimed at improving retention and reactivation numbers which have been troubling in recent years, RBFF has developed a wide array of dynamic assets its stakeholders can use to amplify the message.
“ Research tells us women who fish have significantly greater grit, confidence and self-esteem than women who don't . But it also shows girls stop fishing at an 11% higher rate than boys, and often feel excluded from fishing and boating trips,” said RBFF Sr. Director of Consumer Marketing & Communications Rachel Piacenza. “Second Catch encourages girls and women to get back on the water to continue building their confidence through adolescence and beyond!”
Fishing participation has been increasing over the last several years, but so has churn. The number of people dropping out of fishing reached its peak following the COVID-19 pandemic (-14 million) and now sits at -12 million. While RBFF is working to continue the gains seen as a result of its Take Me Fishing ‘Find Your Best Self on the Water’ campaign and other state and industry efforts, it's also working to better understand how we can improve retention and reactivation.
“Fishing and boating participation is everyone’s business, from state agencies, to fishing and boating manufacturers, retailers and more,” said RBFF President & CEO Dave Chanda. "We're pleased to share this inspiring research-driven campaign our stakeholders can activate at the local level. We're also excited to see states and industry launching their own efforts to grow the sport."
This National Fishing & Boating Week, June 1-9, state agencies across the country are promoting and hosting Free Fishing Days where residents can fish without a license as a way to “give fishing a try.” In addition, organizations like the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) launched its annual Fishing Share the Fun campaign with a new shareable video encouraging active fishing participants to share the fun with others.
RBFF’s Second Catch campaign messaging centers on an animated short movie that showcases the heartwarming journey of a father and daughter whose shared love of fishing drifts apart – only to be rekindled years later when the daughter’s passion brings them back on the water.
Free and customizable assets available to stakeholders include videos, social media assets, campaign still images and suggested email copy to inspire your constituents. All are available for download and usage.
About RBFF
RBFF is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase recreational angling and boating participation, thereby protecting and restoring the nation's aquatic natural resources. To help recruit, retain, and reactivate participants, RBFF developed the award-winning Take Me Fishing™ and Vamos A Pescar™ campaigns to build awareness of boating, fishing, and conservation and educate people about the benefits of participation.
The campaign websites feature how-to-videos and an interactive state-by-state map that allows visitors to find local boating and fishing spots, helping boaters and anglers of all ages and experience levels learn, plan, and equip for a successful day on the water.
RBFF also offers its industry stakeholders many tools, including a Fishing License & Boat Registration Plugin to connect their customers with the information they need in just one click, as well as an embeddable Places to Fish & Boat Map to help their customers discover places to fish and boat near them.
For further information: Bruna Carincotte, bcarincotte@rbff.org, 202-743-9894