Berkley Conservation Institute

[Gad]

Taken from Fishing World email newsletter 14-10-13

Fishing World contributor Martin Salter recently attended the first workshop held in Europe by The Berkley Conservation Institute, the environmental arm of the global tackle giants Pure Fishing.

Tackle Company shows the way in conservation

14 Oct 2013

By Martin Salter

As I’ve written before, conservation is too often regarded as a dirty word in some rec fishing circles and it really is time that more progress was made in this area. Compared to the USA and Europe, Australia is behind the curve when it comes to rec fishing groups engaging with environmental campaigning.

My recent trip to the Portuguese capital of Lisbon as a guest of Pure Fishing was a real eye opener. The workshop was entitled Exploring threats to recreational and sport fishing across Europe and was seeking to "examine conflicts between recreational fisheries and EU policy and other legislative frameworks and explore how to best resolve such conflicts.

I was there representing the UK peak body, The Angling Trust, along with my colleague Jan Kappel from the European Angler’s Alliance and a number of prominent fishery scientists from the US, England and Portugal.

We soon discovered that the world’s largest tackle manufacturer is alive to the need to play its part in protecting and conserving fish, fishing and fisheries. Back in 2005 they set up the Berkley Conservation Institute (BCI) to support conservation and angler recruitment efforts. They cooperate with fishing groups, conservation organisations, customers and other industry partners to protect all fishable waters.

The stated aim of this collaboration is “to enhance populations of important sport fish and to introduce the next generation to the delight of angling ... and to teach them to lead the fight for conservation. This passion for stewardship has been a foundation of our company for over 70 years.†They are advised by a Conservation Leaders Advisory Team of scientists, sportsfishers and academics from the USA and Europe and are led by Director of Conservation Jim Martin and CEO John Doerr.

Talking to both Jim and John over a beer or three in Lisbon it was clear to me that these guys not only appreciate the importance of protecting the resource upon which recreational fishing depends but are keen to find new ways to build greater public and political support for what we do.

Most of us look across to the USA with envy when it comes to the political clout that rec fishing can deliver and the resources available via the licence fee income and levy on tackle and boat fuel sales.

But the guys from Pure Fishing have realised that our sport is at a crossroads with increasing pressure on the resource from expanding populations, commercial overfishing and a host of other distractions that means that the next generation of anglers could be harder to attract.

Every year the BCI invites angling clubs or chapters to apply for their Outstanding Conservation Award presented in partnership with the US sportsfishing group B.A.S.S., in honour of the best conservation and angler recruitment and retention projects. The Institute awards a $2,000 cash prize for the best conservation project and $1,500 in fishing gear for the best angler recruitment/retention project.

As Berkley’s Conservation Director, Jim Martin says:

“This program represents our partnership to celebrate those who work each year to give back to the resource that supports our wonderful sport and to those who work to recruit the next generation of passionate anglers. Berkley is more than just line and bait, and B.A.S.S. is so much more than just fishing tournaments. We want to thank you, to celebrate your project, to contribute support to your organization and to inspire others to follow your lead.â€

An Environmental Agenda for Recreational Fishers

My own presentation in Lisbon covered the steps leading up to the establishment of Keep Australia Fishing and some of the prerequisites for a healthy fishing future including the need for rec fishers to embrace the environmental agenda. This included:

Recreational fishing to re-position with environmental agenda;

Highlight existing good work in freshwater habitat restoration;

Devote resources to community education programmes;

Make common cause against commercial over fishing.

And this quote...

“There is no future in having recreational fishers in one corner and environmentalists in the other, without a healthy aquatic environment and a sustainably managed fishery there will be no recreational fishing in the long term.â€

Now it’s your country and there’s no reason why you guys should have to listen to a Pom like me or bunch of Yanks and Europeans from the other side of the planet. However, when the world’s largest fishing tackle corporation starts putting hard earned resources and dollars into conservation projects and environmental campaigns and partnerships you might just conclude that there is something in this stuff.

[Binder]

Well there is a turkey who knows nothing about what stocking groups and fishing clubs do in Australia in regards to conservation.

Although the difference might be, we do it, we dont talk about it. (Lobby).

And its not Fishers against environmentalists, its environmentalists (fisho's) against greenies (eco-terrorists) ! :evil: