It started in hearings and at meetings on Capitol Hill, where industry, conservation and public policy leaders voiced concerns that boaters and anglers were spending less and less time on the water. It appeared that many people were forgetting — or had never experienced — how recreational boating and fishing could enrich their lives and contribute to a healthier environment around them.
When Congress passed the Sport Fishing and Boating Safety Act in 1998, it required the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior to implement a national outreach and communication plan to address recreational boating and fishing participation and aquatic resource stewardship. The Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council (SFBPC) developed the plan and RBFF was created to carry it out — ensuring the legacies of boating, sport fishing and aquatic resource stewardship are never lost.
Since 1998, RBFF has developed a wide variety of programs and products that make it easy for people to get involved in recreational fishing and boating. Under the Take Me FishingTM and Vamos A PescarTM national campaigns, RBFF provides the tools to help people get started. RBFF’s digital assets, TakeMeFishing.org and VamosAPescar.org, are the most comprehensive fishing and boating websites nationwide and are the key destinations for individuals to learn, plan and equip for a day on the water.
Beyond digital media, RBFF is engaging the next generation of anglers through initiatives like its Take Me FishingTM First Catch Centers and through partnerships across the country.
