Press Releases

RBFF Highlights Hispanic Opportunity at ICAST 2013
Foundation focused on increasing participation in fishing and boating to engage stakeholder partners and cultivate consumer content at show

ALEXANDRIA, VA (July 1, 2013) – The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) today announced the organization will attend this year's International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades show (ICAST), being held July 9 – 12, 2013 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev. For the first time RBFF will lead a business session at ICAST focused on engaging the growing Hispanic audience.

“We’re going into the show this year knowing that participation in fishing continues to trend upwards,” said RBFF President and CEO Frank Peterson. “While we’re celebrating this news, we will continue to push forward new and innovative programs and technologies to further increase fishing participation among key market segments such as Hispanics/Latinos, where currently only 1.6 million of a population of 53 million participates in fishing.”

RBFF will host the business session on Thursday, July 11 at 10:00 a.m. in room N253 in the Convention Center. Titled Engaging the Hispanic Audience: Insights to Actions, the session will focus on the exponential growth of the Hispanic community, its future impact on the fishing and boating industries and successful strategies to engage this burgeoning community.

Research from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service shows overall U.S. fishing participation is up 11 percent from 2006 – 2011, and new RBFF research reveals for the second year in a row, more people have entered the sport than have dropped out. Traffic to the Take Me Fishing digital assets is also tracking high with more than seven million visits last year alone.

“By increasing participation, we’re not only supporting local aquatic conservation efforts, we’re also supporting the manufacturers, retailers and other businesses that thrive on it,” added Peterson.”


The RBFF will host a booth on the show floor (#2406) where attendees can learn more about RBFF’s programs and resources including the embeddable Places to Boat and Fish Map and TV, radio and print PSAs. Additionally, RBFF staff will be on site hosting a variety of activities to promote awareness of its programs, and resources, and to generate web and digital content for consumer-facing outreach associated with its Take Me Fishing™ campaign.

For more information about RBFF and Take Me Fishing, visit TakeMeFishing.org. On-site media contact: RBFF Director of Communications, Stephanie Vatalaro, (703) 585-1072. 


 

About the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF)

Celebrating 15 years in 2013, RBFF is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase participation in recreational angling and boating, thereby protecting and restoring the nation’s aquatic natural resources. RBFF developed the award-winning Take Me Fishing™ campaign to create awareness around boating, fishing and conservation, and educate people about the benefits of participation. Take Me Fishing helps boaters and anglers of all ages and experience levels learn, plan and equip for a day on the water. The campaign website, TakeMeFishing.org, features tips and how-to’s that can be used all over the country, tools to compare different styles of boats, information on how to get a fishing license and boat registration, and an interactive state-by-state map that allows visitors to find local boating and fishing spots.

For further information: Stephanie Vatalaro, 703-778-5156, svatalaro@rbff.org

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