Blog

About four and a half years ago, RBFF announced its ambitious goal of 60 million anglers in 60 months. As those 60 months close at the end of December, I am proud to say the work RBFF has done alongside our industry, government, and non-profit partners has us within close range of achieving our goal. These gains cannot be written off as circumstantial—they are the culmination of years of preparation which provided a strong foundation for growth when opportunity arose.  

At RBFF, we don’t just focus on the next quarter, rather the next quarter century. Our sustained marketing efforts for nearly 25 years have focused on the goal of continued growth in fishing and boating within the United States. This long-term thinking and continuous work positioned fishing and boating as a top-of-mind activity to safely escape the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic, as 55 million Americans went fishing last year.

While you may think of us as simply a marketing campaign, we’re so much more than that. Our newly released 2021 Stakeholder Annual Report details the breadth and depth of the work we do from consumer marketing, the development of First Catch Centers, and industry research to R3 training with state fish and wildlife agencies, the creation of retention and reactivation toolkits, and our embeddable Places to Fish & Boat Map.

As the 60 in 60 finish line approaches, so does the end of my time as President of RBFF after 14 years. With the work my team has done, the partnerships we have formed, and the progress we’ve made, I have no doubt RBFF will continue to deliver positive results, grow participation in fishing and boating, and show Americans that the water is open to everyone.

Explore all of RBFF’s work, and the opportunity that lies ahead in our 2021 Stakeholder Annual Report.