Urban Fishing Symposium Overview

Recreational fishing has traditionally been one of the most favored participatory outdoor activities in the United States. However, urbanization, urban sprawl, and other factors have caused participation to decline over the past 20 years. In addition, recreational fishing participation is consistently lower than the national average for groups such as females, African-Americans, and urban residents. In response to these trends, many state agencies have developed urban fishing programs. The Urban Fishing Symposium is the first of its kind since 1983, and it will be comprised of invited topics, case studies, and research, with both oral and poster presentations. The program thoroughly engages a diverse array of issues relevant to urban fishing program managers, developers, and fisheries administrators, including but not limited to, the role of aquaculture and fish stocking, funding sources, contaminants, program evaluation, marketing and promotion, collaboration, enforcement, human dimensions, and management. Aligned with the AFS 2007 meeting theme of “Addressing Uncertainty and Unintended Consequences in Fish and Fisheries,” the urban fishing symposium intends to provide the information necessary to protect against the uncertainty and unintended consequences of alienating non-traditional angler groups.