URBAN FISHING PROGRAMS
The Illinois Urban Fishing Program was introduced in Chicago in 1985
to teach individuals of all ages to fish, to provide better local fishing
opportunities, and to give participants an understanding of and a greater
appreciation for natural resources. The backbone of the Program consisted
of free summer fishing clinics that included fishing at a nearby stocked
pond.
In 1994 a new funding package known as “Fish Illinois” was
created that was supported by a fishing license fee increase. We currently
hold summer fishing clinics at 16 locations. These fishing clinics were
held twice daily Monday through Friday for about nine weeks at each of
the 16 sites during the summer. Approximately 28,235 kids attended one
of 1,319 summer fishing clinics that included fishing at a nearby stocked
pond. A Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Program grant with the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service this past year assisted with funding for 14
new fishing clinic sites where about 8,334 kids attended one of 369 clinics.
Fish stocking remained important for the program and last year approximately
99,700 lbs. of channel catfish and 115,490 hybrid sunfish were stocked.
Members of the public were also able to catch these fish.
Additional volunteers and volunteer organizations have become more involved
to both conduct and to assist with programs. Volunteers and volunteer
organizations held numerous “volunteer fishing clinics.” Last
year they held 155 fishing clinics for 3,850 kids. These individuals and
organizations made up a very important part of the program.
Urban Fishing Program coordinators held non-fishing Conservation Education
Programs and went into numerous schools during the fall, winter, and spring
to teach and promote fishing and the appreciation of natural resources.
Our Program was also associated with The Hooked On Fishing- Not On Drugs?
(HOFNOD) Program, which is a national fishing program that combines angling
skills and actual fishing, the ethical care of the environment, and self
esteem issues. Most of our fishing programs met these three requirements
and approximately 45,960 kids participated in a HOFNOD Program last year.
We were also able to initiate fishing programs in many schools when Illinois
school administrators contacted the national HOFNOD office wanting a fishing
program.
The popular “Access to Fishing” rod and reel loaner program
was established in 1997 and has been growing since that time. Last year
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant also helped fund 18 new locations.
There are currently163 “Access to Fishing” fishing pole loaner
sites in Illinois, and fishing poles were borrowed more than 21,830 times
last year.
During the year the Urban Fishing Program held or sponsored a total of
2,289 fishing and non-fishing educational programs for more than 79,350
participants.
INTRODUCTION
In past generations, Americans fished frequently and often did so as
a necessity for food. Times have changed. Now fishing is often done for
pleasure. Fish may still be kept for food but are many times released
to be caught again. According to an Illinois Department of Natural Resources
(IDNR) recent “Illinois Outdoor Recreation Survey,” fishing
was the 9th most popular outdoor activity for respondents who were age
18 and older. Reasons why Illinoisans fish, according to the latest “Illinois
Sport Fishing Survey” were: to enjoy the outdoors, sport (thrill
of catching fish), peace and solitude, companionship with fellow anglers,
food for the table, an activity associated with camping, boating or picnicking,
and fishing contests. The sport of fishing presents an opportunity to
instill outdoor ethics and to cultivate an appreciation for natural resources.
Realizing that we live on a planet that is 70% water, we must strive to
be good stewards of our natural resources if we are to coexist with plants
and animals.
Much of Illinois has been transformed from a quiet rural setting into
an urban sprawl. Areas that were once pristine countryside are now filled
with houses, super malls, and fast food restaurants. Along with this change
in landscape came changes in attitudes, values, and priorities. Such changes
have resulted in more single-parent families. With the burden of rearing
children and earning a living, outdoor ethics and the exploring of our
natural resources are not always being taught. These situations along
with society’s other less desirable influences are producing many
youngsters who desperately need outdoor experiences. Is there a solution?
Can fishing be part of a solution that turns struggling members of our
younger generation into good citizens?
There is hope on the horizon! Reports show that kids are more likely
to fish when they become adults if they experience fishing before reaching
high school age. A survey by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation
showed that 20% of Hispanics and African Americans who do not fish would
like to fish but do not participate for various reasons. Their survey
also showed that participation by members of these minority groups during
their teen-aged years was important in influencing them to take up fishing
as a lifelong hobby. Hispanics and African Americans tend to fish with
others rather than by themselves and view fishing as an opportunity to
socialize.
The IDNR’s Division of Fisheries’s annual program evaluations
showed a decline in fishing license sales in Illinois from 1992 through
1996. Since 1996 however, license sales stopped declining and had leveled
off. The evaluation also showed that total fishing trips had increased
more recently because licensed anglers were fishing more frequently, and
this same trend occurred throughout the United States. A recent nationwide
survey conducted by Responsive Management found that fishing decreased
substantially in many states during the early 1990's but also found that
total angling days had increased dramatically in more recent years.
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
The major objectives of the Illinois Urban Fishing Program included teaching
kids to fish, stocking sufficient numbers of catchable-sized fish to maintain
quality sport fishing for urban anglers, and introducing citizens to the
outdoors and instilling an interest and appreciation for plants and animals.
PROGRAMS
Free Fishing Clinics
Summer fishing clinics are held at 16 local park district sites statewide.
Clinics began in mid-June and continued throughout July and into mid-August.
Sessions were held twice daily, Monday through Friday. Instructors (usually
teachers who enjoyed fishing) were hired and trained to conduct the clinics
at each site. Each clinic lasted about 2.5 hours and had two portions:
1) an approximate 45-minute educational period, and 2) actual fishing
for the remainder of the session at a nearby stocked lake. The clinics
were designed to teach safety, proper angler ethics, aquatic and general
ecology (the aquatic food chain), fish identification, knot tying, the
importance of becoming good stewards of natural resources, and the importance
of choosing good friends. Following the classroom educational session,
attendees practiced casting, learned the art of setting the hook, and
finally were shown how to remove a hook and to release a fish.
The clinic instructor presented clinics using large laminated posters
along with hands-on demonstrations using various types of fishing gear.
Group size was limited to 20-30 per session. Larger groups were discouraged
because instructors were unable to give adequate individual attention
plus smaller groups were more safe. “Catch and Release” fishing
was usually practiced during clinics. Reservations were requested for
those attending the clinics and individuals were allowed to attend a clinic
more than once. At many sites the local park district assisted by taking
reservations.
A Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Program grant from the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service also supported similar fishing clinic and fish stocking
programs at 14 new sites this past year.
When the clinic was completed, participants were given an information
packet which included books: Kids Fishing, It’s Catching On, Illinois
Fishing Information rules and regulations, Common Freshwater Fish of Illinois,
and two brochures: Fishing Safety and the Knot Tying Guide. Rulers and
bluegill buttons were also included.
Fish Stocking
Surveys show that kids are more likely to become interested in fishing
if they have fun while learning. This is more likely to happen if they
catch fish. Therefore, the stocking of catchable-sized channel catfish
and hybrid sunfish (green sunfish x bluegill) was an integral part of
the Urban Fishing Program. The general public was also allowed to catch
these fish.
Channel catfish were stocked through the summer at the rate of approximately
1,000 lbs./acre/year and hybrid sunfish were added at the rate of 500
fish/acre/year. Catfish were added in five deliveries made biweekly during
the summer.
Sunfish were added in 2-4 deliveries between late spring through early
August. Catfish weighed an average of 1-4 lbs. each and sunfish were 4-7
inches long.
OUTREACH PROGRAMS THAT INCLUDED FISHING
Studies show that a program that teaches fishing is much more effective
at getting participants hooked on the sport if participants are able to
go fishing. Therefore, clinics included fishing if possible. Some Outreach
Programs which did include fishing were: special event clinics, events
held by “volunteer instructors,” fishing expos, and fishing
derbies.
Special Event Clinics
Special event clinics were similar to regular summer clinics, but were
held on weekends, after school, or at different locations where lakes
with a suitable fish population were available. Several ice fishing clinics
were also held in northern Illinois. Special event clinic participants
were also provided with fishing oriented literature packets.
“Volunteer Instructor” Clinics
The volunteer instructor fishing clinics were held by individuals, by
employees of state or local parks, recreation department employees, etc.,
and were held at sites with a lake where fishing was available. The volunteers
were trained and provided with Urban Fishing Clinic Program educational
materials and with fishing poles. This portion of the Program has shown
a great amount of growth and has the potential for more, and will allow
additional kids to learn to fish at a relatively low cost.
Fishing Expos
Fishing Expos were large fishing clinics where each topic of the Program
was taught at a separate station by trained instructors. After completing
each instructional station, attendees then went fishing. These events
were normally sponsored in part or entirely by local fishing clubs, service
clubs, and/or private businesses. Expos were one-day events and were designed
to accommodate between 100-500 participants.
Fishing Derbies
Fishing Derbies usually involved a larger group of anglers (40-200 people),
and included fishing without the educational part of the summer clinic
program. Educational sessions were not practical due to large group size,
participants arriving at different times, time constraints, etc.
Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs
The nationally acclaimed Hooked On Fishing-Not On Drugs (HOFNOD) Program
combined angling skills along with actual fishing, ethical care of the
environment, and positive life skills such as self esteem issues, decision
making, goal setting, helping others, etc. into one curriculum. Many of
our fishing programs qualified as a HOFNOD Program. Illinois teachers
also contacted the HOFNOD office in Washington, D.C. to request information
and fishing programs for their school. HOFNOD then passed their request
to our Department for us to handle, which made it possible to introduce
fishing to additional schools.
OUTREACH PROGRAMS THAT DID NOT INCLUDE FISHING
In Illinois, weather usually limits Program activities that include actual
fishing to the warmer months of April through September. If inclement
weather or other limitations such as large group size, time constraints,
lack of a suitable body of water, etc. occurred, non-fishing activities
could be held.
These programs included school classroom programs, sport tackle show programs,
and outdoor Conservation Field Day programs.
School Classroom Programs
The School Classroom Programs included a variety of types of sessions.
Some programs discussed lake ecosystems and related topics and then allowed
students to pick up and handle live fish and other aquatic animals. Other
programs included slide show fish related presentations followed by question
and answer periods. Another program that was supported in part by the
American Fisheries Society studied the water molecule and water’s
habits as it flowed through a stream. Some programs were educational bingo-type
fish games.
Sport Tackle Shows
The Sport Tackle Shows were held indoors during the winter and they were
set up to handle hundreds of persons wanting to visit with vendors selling
fishing and outdoor products. Our activities usually included having kids
fish for “felt fish” with velcro-covered bean bags attached
to cane poles and then teaching them to identify and measure fish, or
offered the use of a fish simulator that allowed participants to experience
the thrill of catching a fish. We also promoted our various summer fishing
programs and gave away aquatic and fish related literature.
Conservation Field Day Programs
Conservation Field Day programs consisted of 15- 25 minute presentations
about fish and general aquatics, and were usually held outdoors at state
parks for school groups that were on a field trip. Numerous groups of
students participated and each group would rotate from station to station.
The Illinois “Access to Fishing” fishing
pole loaner program was started in 1997 and remains a unique way of allowing
anglers to try fishing without having to buy equipment. Fishing poles
which had been purchased by or donated to IDNR were placed in establishments
such as libraries, lake-side concession stands, bait stores, etc. This
equipment was available to be borrowed at no cost, and handled much like
checking out and returning a library book. Tackle packets (containing
hooks, sinkers, a bobber, etc.) and instructional fishing literature were
also available at no cost for users to keep when they borrowed a fishing
pole. The Program was popular with the recent fishing clinic participant,
the first-time angler, and the occasional angler who did not yet want
to buy equipment.
It also made it possible for example, for a parent to take their children
and additional neighborhood children fishing and be able to provide a
fishing pole for each person.
This equipment was maintained by local volunteers, employees of the lending
facility that housed and lent the equipment, by IDNR employees, etc.
