IGFA Education Programs Recap and Update for 2024

Intro to Fishing

Launched in 2019, the IGFA’s major online education program has been our Intro to Fishing course and during this past quarter, this course hit a milestone with the 1,000^th student completing the course! This student was one of the 85 students from Loranger High School in Louisiana, US. Ms. Owenby, the Agriculture Teacher & FFA Advisor at Loranger High School, first completed the course in January 2023 and since then has required all her students to complete the course as part of their class curriculum.

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However, it does not end there. To further support Ms. Owenby in angling education efforts, the IGFA provided her with a Passports to Fishing kit earlier this year which she has already utilized during a field trip to Waddill Wildlife Refuge in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, US. “Some students were so excited; they have asked for me to start a fishing team. That will be the next step to getting this generation more active in the outdoors,” Ms. Owenby said.

 

Passports to Fishing

Not only are IGFA’s online education resources growing, but our signature in-person programs have shown significant growth this past quarter as well. Leading the way is the IGFA’s Passports to Fishing program, and this past quarter a new language (Dutch) was added to the 16 other language translations, and a kit was sent to the 45^th country, The Netherlands. The kit recipients hosted their first event on March 16, 2024, with the TransAtlantic Scouts in which 15 scouts attended the program.

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Many children are continuously taught how to fish in countries around the world by the IGFA’s dedicated network of supporters who utilize the Passports to Fishing kits. In February, Club Nautico de Santo Domingo and IGFA Representative, Wally Heinsen, hosted the 5^th Annual Kid’s Tournament in the Dominican Republic reaching 120 kids.

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Fonmar BCS and IGFA Representatives, Clicerio Mercado Hernández and Gonzalo Alamea Camacho, hosted a “Clinica Y Torneo de Pesca Infantil” in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where 50 youth received training to conduct safe and responsible sport fishing during the clinic as part of the Baja Cantina children’s offshore tournament.

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Lastly, IGFA Representative Jan Forszpaniak led fishing workshops in February for more than 30 students in the Turks & Caicos teaching a new generation of ethical angling and the need for sustainable fishing practices. IGFA Representative Alberto Salvini held an IGFA P2F seminar during an event co-hosted by the Monaco Association for the Protection of Nature and the Monaco Sportfishing Federation. Several children participated in the seminar which focused on responsible fishing and marine environment conservation.

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In March, the IGFA Kids’ Fishing Clinics occurred once again in Grand Cayman thanks to the Cayman Islands Angling Club and IGFA Representative Franklin Thompson. In just one day, 160 youth were reached bringing a fun-filled fishing day to the community.

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New to the Passports to Fishing kits in 2024 is a toolkit provided by Keep Fish Wet to educate anglers on best release practices. The IGFA Education team at the Headquarters already put these toolkits to good use during the Bass Pro Shops Conservation Weekend during their Spring Fishing Classic in March.

Fishing Camps

With the success and decades’ worth of proven curriculum resulting from the IGFA Summer Fishing Camp held at IGFA Headquarters since 2000, many offsite camp opportunities have either been facilitated or planned in this past quarter. An IGFA Spring Fishing Camp occurred in Palm Beach County, Florida, US in collaboration with the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Cooperative Extension of Palm Beach County for 16 students under scholarships provided by Nick Smith, and another week of fishing camp has been planned for this summer.

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Significant progress has been made this quarter in the planning of three offsite camps including the growth and expansion of the Reel Into Fishing camps in Ocean County, New Jersey, US. In 2024 this program will extend into Burlington County thanks to the long-standing collaboration with Rutgers University Cooperative Extensions and IGFA Representative Gene Nigro.

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Finally, the IGFA is excited to announce the return of the IGFA Kids’ Fishing Camp in Abaco, The Bahamas, where 20 children from the Cooper’s Town community in North Abaco will participate in the immersive camp to learn both spin and fly fishing techniques from July 22-26, 2024.

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Additional Education Programs

Significant progress has been made this past quarter regarding the IGFA’s other angling education programs like the National Parks Project, Youth Fly Fishers, and Fish Art Contest as this is the last quarter when the IGFA Education team has the opportunity to thoroughly plan each project, event, and supplies associated with each whereas it will become nonstop implementation and facilitation of these programs in the next quarter so please stay tuned for more exciting things to come from the IGFA’s Education team!

However, we would not be able to do what we do or accomplish all these milestones without the dedication and hard work of our IGFA international network of supporters or without the products and support from our partners. We cannot thank you enough for helping the IGFA to teach this many youth around the world and countless more to come! If you would like to get involved in any of these programs, please contact IGFA Director of Education, Lisa Morse, at [email protected].