Georgia’s Community-Based Fishing Program

Authors: Ramon martin and Thom Litts

In 2001, 72 percent of U.S. residents who fished lived in a metropolitan statistical area with most anglers coming from large urban areas.  Unfortunately most residents of large urban areas don’t have the fishing opportunities or immediate access to public fishing areas managed by state wildlife resource agencies.  This is especially true in Georgia where most Public Fishing Areas (PFA) and reservoirs are outside these urban areas.  The Georgia Department of Natural Resources developed a pilot community fishing program in 2003 in cooperation with the City of Savannah Parks and Recreation Department, the Chatham County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department, the City of Richmond Hill, and BASS PRO Outdoor World where eight lakes totaling 127 acres were intensively managed and stocked with catchable size catfish.  These lakes can provide fishing opportunities to over 256,616 residents in Southeast Georgia. Preliminary creel surveys in urban lakes documented increased pressure and significantly more angler trips and effort per acre than many of the state’s Public Fishing Areas.  The program also provided an opportunity to host numerous kids fishing events and fishing clinics for youth summer urban camps attended by over 825 kids throughout the summer months.