Attracting millennials to fishing

People are just not fishing as much as they used to. According to data collected by the California Sportfishing League, if the downward trend in annual fishing licenses issued continues over the next 10 years, sales could drop below $900,000 from a high of roughly $2.2 million in 1980.

“It (Fishing) used to be this really big thing,” said local Assemblyman James Gallagher. “I think it was at its height with the greatest generation who fought in World War II, but it has sort of died off with each generation. How do we promote this to a new generation of Californians and get them involved in the outdoors?”

Gallagher said youth, particularly millennials, represent a segment of the population that can be attracted to fishing because of the longstanding history of stewardship and a sense of conservation.

But attracting youth to fishing may be an increasingly difficult task because of lost revenue from fishing license sales.

In 2017, the Fish and Game Preservation Fund experienced a $20 million deficit, while budget constraints led the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife to cut the number of fish stocked statewide by 39 percent, according to data from the California Sportfishing League.

“California anglers are aging at a time when not enough kids are being introduced to a greater form of outdoor recreation,” said Marko Mlikotin, executive director of the California Sportfishing League. “The state needs to expand its youth fishing programs and reduce the cost of fishing if recreational fishing is going to have a real future in California.”