Fewer young people fish - so what can be done? | Minnesota Fishing Forum - Controversies

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Fewer young people fish - so what can be done? - - - 12 messages. Showing 1 through 10.

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mcaputompr
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Joined 06/12/2007
Posts:2

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Msg 1 Posted: 10:47 AM 06/12/07 (CST)

Minnesota Public Radio wants help in looking at an issue that's important to the fishing community.

First, let me tell you who I am. I work with MPR News as part of an initiative called the Public Insight Network. Basically we use email as a tool for reaching out to people for insight on stories we'd like to cover.

Often we like to extend our reach to people beyond our database of folks (about 20,000 strong right now).

And we'd like to do that in this case. Here is the story idea and how you could reply:

According to the Department of Natural Resources, young people aren’t dropping their fishing lines in the water like they used to.

From 2000 to 2005, there was a 10 percent decline in the number of people between the ages of 16 to 44 who were getting fishing licenses in Minnesota (according to the DNR).

The question is: Why are young people less inclined to become anglers? Is it the lure of computers and video games? Or a dearth of teachers?

Help MPR News look into this story by filling out a small survey. You can click here to respond.

Or you can take the link below.... paste it into your web browser and then the survey will come up.

https://www.publicradio.org/applications/formbuilder/user/form_display.php?form_code=8c9eab7a6144

As you know, fishing is big business: The state sells 1.3 million fishing licenses every year. A decline in fishing could have serious effects.

As a DNR official recently wrote, fewer young people fishing will mean fewer licenses being sold, which will in turn mean fewer dollars for funding DNR fishery efforts. The state could even lose federal Fish and Wildlife Service dollars, which is based on total license sales.

The DNR is embarking on several initiatives, which include:

- Reaching out to those whose fishing licenses have lapsed.
- Trying to convince anglers to pass on their love of fishing to the young.
- Trotting out a billboard campaign called “Take Me Fishing” aimed at getting older people to take kids fishing.

In your experience, will any of this address the real problem?

MPR News can use your help in telling this story. Please give us your insight.

And, if you know someone who could help us with this fishing story, please pass this note along to them.

All the best,

Michael Caputo
Analyst, Public Insight Journalism
Minnesota Public Radio News
(651) 290-1081
mcaputo@mpr.org

CrappieKeith
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Joined 03/27/2006
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Msg 2 Posted: 11:12 AM 06/12/07 (CST)

Thanks for taking your time to speak with me Michael.
I'm excited to see you are involved.