Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2021 - 4

Thank You for
Fishing in 2020
by Timothy D. Schaeffer

Our agency and the Pennsylvania Game Commission
are proud members of the Association of Fish and Wildlife
Agencies (AFWA). AFWA represents state fish and wildlife
agencies in Washington, D.C., to advance sound, science-based
management and conservation of fish and wildlife and their
habitats in the public interest. They provide members like us
with coordination services on interdisciplinary and speciesbased programs that range from fisheries policy and fish
habitat to wildlife action plans to the human dimensions of fish
and wildlife conservation.
Each fall, AFWA's annual meeting offers state agencies
the opportunity to share experiences, ideas, successes,
and challenges and the chance to hear from government,
non-profit, and industry partners about the latest trends
and findings related to natural resource management and
participation in outdoor recreation.
Like other similar events, the 2020 annual meeting was
held virtually rather than in person. One of the highlights of
the event was a presentation by staff from Brandt Information
Services that described trends among the wave of people who
headed outdoors during 2020 while COVID-19 raced across
the country and impacted life for everyone.
In Pennsylvania, anglers flocked to the water in numbers we
have not seen in 25 years. In fact, the nearly 980,000 licensed
anglers in 2020 surpassed every other licensing year since 1996.
While states across the country saw an increase in license sales,
the 20% jump in the Commonwealth eclipsed the national
average. Over one-fourth of the people who purchased a
Pennsylvania fishing license in 2020 did so for the first time.
Brandt Information Services surveyed customers
nationwide who purchased their first fishing or hunting license
in 2020 or who returned to the sports last year after letting
their license lapse. They asked who those people were, what
motivated them to fish or hunt, and what types of information
would be helpful to getting outdoors more often and having a
better time when they do so.
Three interesting groups of participants stood out in
the findings. New Gatekeepers were new customers who
were more likely to be female and non-white than those
who purchased a license pre-COVID. Group Adventurers
included families, students, and others who were looking
to experience the outdoors together with others. Ethical
Tourists comprised a category of outdoor enthusiasts with a
strong conservation ethic.

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * January/February 2021

photo-PFBC archives

Executive Director
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission

When asked about why they took to the waters and woods
during 2020, the number one reason was (not surprisingly
given the year we all had) stress relief, followed closely by a
desire to get outdoors and to spend time with family.
The number one piece of information cited as being helpful
to improve the outdoor experience was where to go. The Fish
Boat PA mobile app is the perfect tool to meet that need, so
please be sure to use it and recommend it to everyone you
know who takes to the water in 2021.
What stands out about these responses is that the people
who discovered or rediscovered the joys of fishing in 2020
were seeking an experience just as much as they were hoping
to catch a fish. Hearing these results, the first thing that came
to mind was the evening I spent with my twin sons wading in
the Yellow Breeches Creek the day after trout season opened
last spring.
I took them to a stretch of the creek I had not fished since I
was their age. We had boated there together, but they had never
experienced it with a rod in their hand and the anticipation of
a trout at the end of the line.
We bushwhacked through the brush, scaled down and
along the streambank, and smiled and laughed as we each
caught fish as the cool limestone water started to make us
shiver in our waders after a few hours in the water. The thing
I remember most is walking down the path back to our car as
daylight faded. To use that newly coined term, we were Group
Adventurers who were happy to be together as a family. The
world seemed to be falling apart, but for a moment now etched
in time, we were enjoying a gorgeous Pennsylvania April
evening not worrying about what was happening away from
the creek.
Interestingly, Brandt Information Services found that
putting food on the table ranked low on the list of reasons to
fish or hunt among the new participants. But doing so certainly
added to the fun for us that evening. The boys and I each kept
one trout for dinner and fried them up in a cast iron skillet for
the most memorable meal of the year.
No one knows what 2021 will bring, but one thing is
certain-Pennsylvania's streams, rivers, and lakes will be
waiting for everyone to find solace with a fishing rod in hand,
connect with nature, and have fun making memories.
www.fishandboat.com

http://www.fishandboat.com

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2021

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