Glenn with a pristine Bluefish
The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) has done
a good job of raising awareness with states, industry and the
public. We are laser focused on R3 – recruitment, retention and
reactivation of anglers and we are all rallying around the ’60 in
60’ charge.
ICAST exhibitors pull in the crowds
FEATURE | GLENN HUGHES
www.tackletradeworld.com 49
for our team to build relationships
with our members, understand their
needs, communicate with leadership
and make adjustment for the future.
Working closely with Government
Affairs allows us to work on solutions
that impact their business as well.
TTW - Increasing participation in the
sport is something I feel strongly about,
however a lot of countries struggle
to execute participation initiatives
effectively. I know the ASA is a keen
advocate of encouraging more people
into the sport but what do you think
is one of the best ways of approaching
this?
GH – That’s the $64,000 question.
There are many stakeholders and
sharing the message of participation to
its readers, viewers and followers. It can
tell the story about fi shing and excite
new anglers, share stories of current
anglers and remind past anglers about
the joy of the great outdoors and
memories of catching fi sh.
The retailers are incredibly important
because they see their customers either
face-to-face or have a relationship with
them through digital channels. Retailers
tend to focus on the customers who
come into the store on a regular basis –
the ‘avid’ angler. Well, the avid anglers
are getting older and fewer are fi shing,
many ways to support the initiative.
The Recreational Boating & Fishing
Foundation (RBFF) has done a good
job of raising awareness with states,
industry and the public. We are laser
focused on R3 – recruitment, retention
and reactivation of anglers and we are
all rallying around the ‘60 in 60’ charge
– 60 million anglers by December 2021.
Funding is limited so we do have
to target audiences and share
messaging with those that have the
best propensity to participate. From
an industry prospective, we look at
four audiences – manufacturers,
media, retailers and everyone else.
That “everyone else” is also important
as it includes captains, guides, event
managers and other groups and
organisations whose mission is to get
people fi shing.
The manufacturers have a
responsibility to their customers and
themselves to understand the changing
marketplace and consumers by asking
questions and researching who is
buying and why. The demographics
are changing whether we like it or not,
and it is incredibly important to stay
engaged with these new and potential
customers, communicating with them
the way they want to be communicated
with.
The media plays a huge role in
buying licences
and participating
as much as we did
in the past. There
are so many ways
to attract new
customers through
the retailers’ doors.
That’s another
article in itself!
We can’t do
much to help
the international
markets at this time
except try to set a
good example. Other
countries should
take advantage
of their existing
manufacturers, retailers and media
to get the message out to anglers and
potential anglers about getting their
friends and families out on the water.
Focus on the kids, families and schools
and you’ll fi nd those that want to make
it happen.
TTW - The Modern Fish Act has
recently been passed in the House of
Representatives and still needs to be
passed by Senate . How large was the
task in getting to this stage?
GH - ASA conservation director Mike
Leonard and the GA team, as well as
our conservation partners, have worked
tirelessly to get us to this stage of the
proverbial game. The number of visits
to Congressional offi ces, the conference
calls and the give-and-take on the bill’s
language is unmeasurable. In many
respects, we must continue the work
with the Senate where not everyone
agrees with the details of the MFA. We
will continue to work with the authors
of the bill in the Senate – Roger Wicker
(R-Miss.) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), as
well as other stakeholders to identify
the best path going forward for getting
the bill enacted before the end of the
year. It’s going to take a lot more than
crossing fi ngers.
TTW - Environmental issues
surrounding the industry are a very
real concern for many groups, how
is the ASA involved in helping to
tackle pollution, invasive species and
sustainability issues?
GH - Our mission is to look out
for the interests of the sportfi shing
industry and the entire recreational
fi shing community. Therefore, what
you mentioned is of importance to
our membership and anglers, so we
spend considerable time focused
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