American Sportfishing Association

EXPLORING DATAT COLLECTION AND COST OPTIONS FOR THE NATIONAL SURVEY OF FISHING, HUNTING, AND WILDLIFE-ASSOCIATED RECREATION

TRACKING PARTICIPATION THROUGH EXPANDED, FASTER LICENSE DATA DASHBOARDS

FISHING IN SCHOOLS: A GRASSROOTS APPROACH TO INCREASING ANGLER PARTICIPATION

TOWARD A COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF ANGLER ACCESS

INCREASE PARTICIPATION AND STATE REVENUES THROUGH STATE-INDUSTRY COOPERATIVE RESEARCH INTO CHURN REATE AND FIRST TIME LICENSE BUYERS.

FY 2020 M-MSCGP: DEVELOPMENT OF REAL-TIME LICENSE DATA DASHBOARD

REAL-TIME LICENSE DATA DASHBOARD IMPROVEMENT AND EXPANSION

TRACKING PARTICIPATION THROUGH EXPANDED REGIONAL & NATIONAL LICENSE SALES DASHBOARDS

INVESTIGATING FACTORS RELATED TO HUNTING AND FISHING LICENSE SALES INCREASES

THIS PROJECT AIMS TO PROVIDE KEY INSIGHTS TO HELP PRACTITIONERS OF RECRUITMENT, RETENTION AND REACTIVATION (R3) AND THE RECREATIONAL FISHING INDUSTRY BOLSTER FISHING PARTICIPATION BY EXPLORING THE UNDEREXAMINED ROLE THAT FISHING GUIDES PLAY IN RECRUITING, RETAINING AND REACTIVATING ANGLERS. FISHING PARTICIPATION COUNTS AND RATES ARE AT OR NEAR THEIR HIGHEST LEVELS IN RECENT YEARS HOWEVER, THERE ARE UNDERLYING WARNING SIGNS INCLUDING HIGH CHURN AND A DECLINING FREQUENCY OF FISHING. THE CONTINUED ATTRITION AND REDUCED FREQUENCY OF FISHING AMONG EXISTING ANGLERS AND THE LONG-TERM TREND OF DECLINING PARTICIPATION AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION SUGGEST THAT SUSTAINING RECENT GROWTH AND ENCOURAGING REGULAR PARTICIPATION REMAINS A CHALLENGE. OFTEN AN OVERLOOKED COMPONENT OF AN ANGLER S R3 JOURNEY, GUIDED FISHING SERVICES MAY ACT AS KEY TOUCHPOINTS FOR RECRUITMENT HELPING INDIVIDUALS TRY FISHING THROUGH PERSONALIZED EXPERIENCES WHILE OFFERING SUPPORT, MOTIVATION AND ACCESS ASSISTANCE TO RETAIN OR RE-ENGAGE ANGLERS. A NORTH CAROLINA STUDY FOUND THAT OVER 90 PERCENT OF GUIDED CLIENTS REPORTED THEIR GUIDE SERVED AS A ROLE MODEL INDICATING A POWERFUL INTERPERSONAL INFLUENCE ON ANGLER BEHAVIOR. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THIS IMPACT. BY EXAMINING THE ROLE OF FISHING GUIDES IN ANGLER R3 THROUGH SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS WITH UP TO 120 GUIDES ACROSS THE U.S. SPANNING SALTWATER, FRESHWATER AND FLY FISHING, WE AIM TO UNCOVER THE INTERPERSONAL, INSTRUCTIONAL AND EMOTIONAL ELEMENTS THAT SHAPE GUIDED FISHING EXPERIENCES. BY INCLUDING BOTH MAINSTREAM AND NICHE GUIDE SERVICES SUCH AS THOSE FOCUSED ON WOMEN, WE SEEK TO EXPLORE HOW DIFFERENT GUIDING APPROACHES INFLUENCE CLIENT ENGAGEMENT AND SATISFACTION. IN ADDITION, TO GUIDE INTERVIEWS, THE STUDY INCLUDES A BRIEF ANONYMOUS CUSTOMER SURVEY DISTRIBUTED VIA GUIDE NETWORKS TO ASSESS CLIENTS FISHING PARTICIPATION BEFORE AND AFTER THEIR GUIDED TRIPS. THE FINDINGS WILL HELP INFORM MORE EFFECTIVE R3 STRATEGIES FOR STATE AGENCIES WHILE OFFERING GUIDES ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION, CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND BUSINESS OUTCOMES. DJ CASE AND ASSOCIATES HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS THE SUBRECIPIENT OF THIS GRANT BASED ON THEIR EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN CONDUCTING QUALITY RESEARCH AND COMMUNICATION EFFORTS IN THE REALM OF R3.

AN INTERNAL LOOK AT OUTDOOR RECREATION: AGENCY, INDUSTRY, AND NGO ATTITUDES TOWARD FISHING, HUNTING, SPORT SHOOTING, AND BOATING.

IN JANUARY 2023, SOUTHWICK ASSOCIATES ANGLER SURVEY FOUND 40% OF NEW ANGLERS DEPENDED ON BRICK-AND-MORTAR FISHING TACKLE RETAILERS TO PREPARE THEM TO FISH, MORE THAN THEY DEPENDED ON FRIENDS, FAMILY AND ONLINE RETAILERS. IN ADDITION, 10% OF NEW ANGLERS DEPENDED ON RETAILERS TO LEARN HOW AND WHERE TO FISH. HOWEVER, MYSTERY SHOPPER RESEARCH BY THE RECREATIONAL BOATING FISHING FOUNDATION (RBFF) SHOWED MANY NEW ANGLERS, ESPECIALLY WOMEN AND OTHER NON-TRADITIONAL AUDIENCES, ARE OFTEN OVERLOOKED OR POORLY SERVED BY RETAILERS, THUS FOSTERING AN IMAGE THEY ARE NOT WELCOME. THIS POOR INTRODUCTION TO FISHING LIKELY ENDS THE ATTEMPT TO FISH FOR MANY, OR ERODES THEIR ENTHUSIASM, THUS CANCELING MUCH OF STATES AND OTHERS RECRUITMENT, RETENTION AND REACTIVATION (R3) SUCCESSES. RETAILERS ARE A CRITICAL COG IN THE R3 PROCESS AND NEED ATTENTION IF STATES AND NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION (NGO) R3 EFFORTS ARE TO REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL. RETAILERS ARE ALSO PERFECTLY SITUATED TO ASSIST IN RETAINING ANGLERS, BUT ALSO NOT LIKELY WELL ENGAGED IN SUCH EFFORTS.THIS PROJECT IS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN INDUSTRY, THE AMERICAN SPORTFISHING ASSOCIATION (ASA), STATE AGENCIES AND THE RBFF. AS THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE SPORTFISHING INDUSTRY, THE ASA WORKS CLOSELY WITH TACKLE RETAILERS, MANUFACTURERS, OUTDOOR MEDIA AND THE REST OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN. WE ARE BEST SUITED TO CONNECT WITH INDEPENDENT AND CHAIN RETAILERS TO HELP THEIR STAFF BETTER IDENTIFY WHEN AN ANGLER NEEDS INTRODUCTORY SUPPORT AND TO PROVIDE NECESSARY SUPPORT. IN 2024, THE RBFF BEGAN ENGAGING WITH RETAILERS AND THEIR WHOLESALE SUPPLIERS TO BEST UNDERSTAND THEIR INTEREST IN RECRUITING AND RETAINING NEW CUSTOMERS, PLUS THEIR LIMITATIONS AND CAPACITY TO ENGAGE IN R3. HOWEVER, THEIR OUTREACH EFFORTS, ONCE DETERMINED, WILL LIKELY BE LIMITED TO ONE OR TWO STATES YET TO BE DETERMINED AND ARE NOT GATHERING FEEDBACK FROM NEW AND POTENTIAL ANGLERS. THESE EFFORTS WILL PROVIDE CRITICAL INSIGHTS REGARDING HOW TO ENGAGE TACKLE RETAILERS. WITH ASAS NATIONAL REACH, THIS PROPOSED PROJECT WILL COORDINATE WITH THE RBFF TO IMPROVE AND EXPAND THEIR EFFORT TO FISHING TACKLE RETAILERS EVERYWHERE.THE RESULTS OF THIS PROJECT WILL HELP RETAIL OWNERS UNDERSTAND HOW TO BETTER ENGAGE NEW ANGLERS THROUGH THEIR CUSTOMERS EYES. THE RESULTS WILL THEN BE COMBINED WITH THE RBFFS 2024 EXPERIENCE TO DEVELOP AND IMPROVE EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING MATERIALS DESIGNED TO HELP FRONT-LINE RETAIL STAFF BETTER IDENTIFY FIRST-TIME AND NEWER ANGLERS, PROPER QUESTIONS TO ASK, ASSUMPTIONS TO AVOID AND HOW TO BEST PREPARE NEW ANGLERS FOR SUCCESS, PLUS OTHER SUPPORT MATERIALS IDENTIFIED IN THE SURVEYS AS IMPORTANT. ASA HAS RETAILERS AVAILABLE TO ASSIST. THE MATERIALS AND TOOLKIT(S) WILL INCORPORATE FINDINGS FROM RECENT CHURN AND MOTIVATION RESEARCH FUNDED BY PAST AFWA FWS MULTISTATE CONSERVATION GRANTS. WE WILL ALSO CONSIDER THE RETAILER EDUCATION MATERIALS DEVELOPED BY THE MARINE RETAILERS ASSOCIATION OF THE AMERICAS (MRAA). THE DELIVERABLES MOST LIKELY ONLINE TOOLKITS AND TRAINING MATERIALS COMPLETE WITH RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND HELP OFFERED MATERIALS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO RETAILERS NATIONALLY VIA OUR INDUSTRY NETWORKS, REGIONAL RETAILER (OR DEALER) SHOWS, TRADE WEBINARS AND OUR ANNUAL ICAST TRADE SHOW WHICH IS THE LARGEST ANNUAL GATHERING OF TACKLE RETAILERS AND SUPPLIERS. RESULTS WILL BE EVALUATED BASED ON FEEDBACK FROM PARTICIPATING RETAILERS VIA INTERVIEWS TO DETERMINE IF THE TOOLKIT MATERIALS WERE EFFECTIVE IN CREATING RETAINING NEW ANGLERS AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY, IF THE PILOT RETAILERS ARE WILLING TO CONTINUE USING THE MATERIALS. THE RBFF WILL NOT NEED FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR THIS EFFORT, AND VOLUNTEER RETAILERS WILL WORK AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE. THE BENEFICIARIES WILL BE STATES AND OTHER NGOS R3 PROGRAMS AND RETAILERS. THE OUTCOME WILL BE A GREATER NUMBER OF NEW AND RETAINED ANGLERS EACH YEAR.

CHURN RATES, OR THE PERCENTAGE OF ANGLERS NOT RENEWING THEIR LICENSES THE NEXT YEAR, HAVE AVERAGED JUST UNDER 50 FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS, ACCORDING TO THE GRANT-FUNDED LICENSE DASHBOARD. EVEN THE PANDEMIC DID NOT NOTABLY REDUCE CHURN RATES, MEANING WE LOSE NEARLY HALF OUR ANGLERS EACH YEAR, WITH REPLACEMENTS COMING FROM NEW ANGLERS AND THOSE RETURNING FROM PREVIOUS YEARS. REDUCING THIS DROP-OUT RATE WILL RESULT IN SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED LICENSE SALES AND EXCISE TAX REVENUES.USING STATE LICENSE SALES DATA AND TOP-LEVEL DATA SECURITY AND ANALYTICAL PROCEDURES, THIS PROJECT WILL IDENTIFY AND FOCUS ON ANGLERS WHO BOUGHT IN 2022, BUT DROPPED OUT IN 2023.WE WILL SURVEY THEM TO LEARN WHY THEY FISHED, WHAT THEY LIKED AND DISLIKED, WHICH RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES THEY ENGAGE IN INSTEAD OF FISHING, THE REASONS WHY THESE ACTIVITIES ARE PREFERRED, THE PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED WHEN FISHING AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS, THE NEED FOR MENTORING SUPPORT, OPTIMAL MESSAGE IMAGERY SUPPORT TACTICS WE CAN FIELD TO WIN THEM BACK, AND MORE. RESULTS WILL BE SHARED WIDELY WITH ALL STATES AND FISHING NON-PROFITS AS WELL AS INDUSTRY, WORKING IN CLOSE COOPERATION WITH RECREATIONAL BOATING AND FISHING FOUNDATION AND STATE R3 PROFESSIONALS. THE RESULTS WILL ALLOW THE R3 COMMUNITY, INCLUDING SPORTFISHING BUSINESSES AS WELL AS STATES AND NON-PROFITS, TO INCREASE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THEIR LICENSE RENEWAL AND MARKETING EFFORTS.

TRACKING PARTICIPATION TRENDS & R3 EFFECTIVENESS VIA LICENSE SALES DASHBOARDS

IMPROVING LOCAL ANGLER RECRUITMENT EVENTS BY CONDUCTING PARTICIPANT SURVEYS

BROAD PUBLIC SUPPORT IS NEEDED TO ADVANCE FISHERIES AND CONSERVATION ISSUES. HOWEVER, CONSIDERING ONLY 14 OF AMERICANS FISH (USFWS, 2016), MOST OF THE DECISIONS AFFECTING CONSERVATION AND SPORTFISHING ARE MADE BY PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT BE MOTIVATED TO ADVANCE CONSERVATION OR ACCESS ISSUES. THE UNENGAGED ARE, HOWEVER, FREQUENTLY FOCUSED ON JOB CREATION AND ECONOMIC PROSPERITY ISSUES ACROSS ALL U.S. COMMUNITIES. BY EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATING HOW ANGLERS SPENDING CREATES JOBS AND PROSPERITY FOR FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES EVERYWHERE, AND HOW FISHING COMPARES AS AN ECONOMICS DRIVER TO BETTER KNOWN COMMERCIAL AND RECREATIONAL SECTORS, WE CAN ENGAGE BROADER AUDIENCES AND INCREASE THEIR SUPPORT FOR CONSERVATION, FISHERIES, AND RECREATIONAL NEEDS. BY HELPING TO INCREASE AWARENESS OF AND ENGAGEMENT IN FISHERIES AND CONSERVATION, THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES THE RELEVANCY AND INCLUSION AND PARTICIPATION STRATEGIC PRIORITY.THE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE SPORTFISHING ESTIMATES ARE BASED ON 2011 AND 2016 SURVEYS. CONSIDERING THE MAJOR ECONOMIC SHIFTS SINCE THAT TIME, MOST STATES SPORTFISHING ECONOMIC ESTIMATES ARE OUTDATED. NO OTHER SOURCES OF RELIABLE SPORTFISHING ECONOMIC DATA EXIST FOR ALL STATES AND THE NATION. THIS PROJECT WILL APPLY THE UPCOMING 2022 USFWS NATIONAL SURVEY DATA WITH UPDATED ECONOMIC MODELS TO REPORT THE JOBS, TAX REVENUES, AND OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS SPORTFISHING DELIVERS. BACKUP APPROACHES ARE PROVIDED IN CASE THE 2022 NATIONAL SURVEY DATA PROVE INADEQUATE. RESULTS, WITH DETAILED BREAKOUTS BY SPECIES AND MORE, WILL BE QUANTIFIED FOR EACH STATE, U.S. CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, AND THE NATION. RATHER THAN DRY TECHNICAL REPORTS, RESULTS WILL BE SHARED USING ONE PAGE VISUAL BASED FORMATS, WITH A TECHNICAL DOCUMENT AVAILABLE FOR REFERENCE WHEN NEEDED.THIS PROPOSAL IS SUBMITTED TO THE MULTISTATE CONSERVATION GRANT PROGRAM IN COORDINATION WITH A SISTER HUNTING AND RECREATIONAL SHOOTING ECONOMIC PROPOSAL FROM THE SPORTSMEN S ALLIANCE FOUNDATION (SAF), TO ACHIEVE COMBINED COST SAVINGS BETWEEN 18,000 AND 28,000.

IN A CONTINUOUS CYCLE, PEOPLE TAKE UP FISHING WHILE OTHERS QUIT. SIMULTANEOUSLY, PEOPLE MOVE FROM PLACE TO PLACE, TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES IN THE PROCESS. AS THESE CHANGES OCCUR, DEMAND FOR SPORTFISHING ACCESS ALSO SHIFTS ACROSS COMMUNITIES. CONSIDERING PAST RESEARCH SHOWS PEOPLE FREQUENTLY QUIT THEIR PREFERRED RECREATIONAL ACTIVITY IF ACCESS EXCEEDS 30 MINUTES, THESE SHIFTS MIGHT CAUSE FISHING TO BECOME LESS POPULAR AS AREAS BECOME MORE DENSER, THUS DECREASING FISHING PARTICIPATION. PROVIDING CONVENIENT ACCESS AND PROMOTING AVAILABLE SITES IS NEEDED TO RETAIN CURRENT ANGLERS AND MAKE FISHING MORE ATTRACTIVE TO POTENTIAL NEW ANGLERS. LIKEWISE, INVESTING IN R3 EFFORTS THAT TARGET PEOPLE LIVING OUTSIDE CONVENIENT RANGE OF PUBLIC FISHING OPPORTUNITIES WILL GENERATE POOR RESULTS. THE FIRST PART OF THIS PROJECT WILL PILOT THE USE OF MAPPING TECHNIQUES TO SHOW WHERE ANGLERS ARE CLUSTERED, AVAILABLE PUBLIC FISHING SITES, AND COMMUNITIES WITH HIGH LEVELS OF FISHING INTEREST BUT LOW RATES OF LICENSE PURCHASES. IF SUCCESSFUL, STATES WILL HAVE A PROVEN TOOL AVAILABLE TO VISUALLY SHOW WHERE NEW PUBLIC ACCESS POINTS ARE NEEDED AND WHERE MARKETING EFFORTS WOULD BE MOST EFFECTIVE TO PROMOTE NEARBY ACCESS POINTS THAT CURRENT AND POTENTIAL ANGLERS MAY NOT BE AWARE OF. THE SECOND PART WILL IDENTIFY THE TYPES OF NEIGHBORHOODS MOST INTERESTED IN FISHING. AS SEEN IN INITIAL BUT LONG OUTDATED ANGLER LIFESTYLE RESEARCH, INTEREST IN ANGLING VARIES ACROSS TYPES OF NEIGHBORHOODS BASED ON THEIR LIFESTYLE CHARACTERISTICS. THIS PROJECT WILL UPDATE AND IDENTIFY WHICH OF THE 67 LIFESTYLES OR TYPES OF NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT GROWTH POTENTIAL IN FISHING PARTICIPATION. STATES CAN THEN USE THE RESULT TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHERE TO FOCUS FISHING R3 AND ACCESS DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS DOWN TO SPECIFIC CITY BLOCKS. BEING PRECISE IS IMPORTANT AS MANY NEIGHBORHOODS, URBAN OR RURAL, SHOW LITTLE INTEREST IN FISHING, WHILE OTHERS MAY BE EMERGING AS NEW PARTICIPATION HOTSPOTS. REPRESENTING THE TACKLE INDUSTRY, THE AMERICAN SPORTFISHING ASSOCIATION (ASA) HAS LED NUMEROUS PROJECTS TO HELP STATES AND INDUSTRY IMPROVE R3 EFFORTS. FOR THE FIRST PART OF THIS PROJECT, ONE STATE PER AFWA REGION WILL BE SELECTED. EACH STATE WILL PROVIDE 10 YEARS OF LICENSE DATA THAT WILL BE TRANSFORMED TO SHOW THE 10-YEAR BUYING HISTORY OF INDIVIDUAL ANGLERS. THEN, USING STREET ADDRESSES, EACH ANGLERS RESIDENCE WILL BE PLOTTED ON STATEWIDE HIGH-RESOLUTION GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS) MAPS WITH RESULTS SHOWING HOW ANGLERS CLUSTER AND WHICH COMMUNITIES ARE SEEING INCREASES OR DECREASES IN PARTICIPATION. WE WILL ALSO WORK WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR AND PARTICIPATING STATES TO ACQUIRE GIS MAPS LISTING PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE WATER BODIES. FINALLY, WE WILL USE ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC. (ESRI) BUSINESS ANALYST DATA TO IDENTIFY NEIGHBORHOODS WITH HIGH AND OR INCREASING LEVELS OF SPORTFISHING INTEREST USING TECHNIQUES PIONEERED IN PREVIOUS ASA GRANT-FUNDED RESEARCH. THE RESULTS SHOULD IDENTIFY AREAS WHERE NEW ACCESS POINTS WILL HAVE HIGHER PROBABILITIES OF INCREASING PARTICIPATION. IF SUCCESSFUL, ALL STATES WILL THEN HAVE A NEW TOOL TO APPLY. EVEN IF NOT SUCCESSFUL, THE LIFESTYLE PROFILES WILL BENEFIT ALL 50 STATES BY IDENTIFYING SPECIFIC TYPES OF NEIGHBORHOODS WITH THE GREATEST POTENTIAL INTEREST IN FISHING. THE RESULTS WILL HELP STATES FIND POTENTIAL NEW ANGLERS, PRIORITIZE NEW ACCESS POINTS, LOCATE URBAN FISHING PROGRAMS, AND INITIATE MARKETING CAMPAIGNS TO HELP ANGLERS IN COMMUNITIES WITH LIMITED ACCESS FIND THE NEAREST PLACES TO FISH. THE OUTCOME WILL BE INCREASED FISHING PARTICIPATION.

QUANTIFY AND COMMUNICATE THE ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE OF SPORTFISHING

THE 2011 ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF SPORTFISHING

SPORTFISHING'S 2019 STATE-, CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT- AND SPECIES-LEVEL ECONOMIC IMPACTS

DEVELOPING ANGLER PERSONAS TO IMPROVE R3 MARKETING.

BOOSTING FISHING PARTICIPATION BY BOAT OWNERS

EVALUATE EFFICIENCY OF FISH PASSAGE STRUCTURES IN JAMES RIVER AT RICHMOND

2015-19 SPORTFISHING SUMMIT - ANNUAL SPONSORSHIP

SPORTFISHING INDUSTRY'S ANNUAL LEADERSHIP MEETING THE SPORTFISHING SUMMIT.

AMERICAN SPORTFISHING ASSOCIATION'S 2010 SUMMIT (BUSINESS MEETING)

2014 ASA SUMMIT SPONSORSHIP

FY 2011 ASA SPORTFISHING SUMMIT CONFERENCE

FINANCIAL RESOURCES FOR TRAININGS, MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES TO PROMOTE CONSERVATION AWARENESS.

2016 ASA SPORTFISHING SUMMIT

2015 ASA SUMMIT SPONSORSHIP

2013 SPORTFISHING SUMMIT SPONSORSHIP, FORT MYERS, FL, OCTOBER 16-18, 2013

FOR A SERVICE MUSSEL BIOLOGIST AT MSU - 301816J229

IDENTIFYING SPORTFISHING'S COMPETITION TO IMPROVE ANGLER RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION