Celebrate Mississippi’s bountiful fisheries, other aquatic resources
National Fishing and Boating Week, which takes place June 2 through June 10, is a perfect time to celebrate Mississippi’s bountiful fisheries and other aquatic resources, as well as relax.
Many have had a reaction regarding fishing.
President Herbert Hoover once said, “To go fishing is the chance to wash one’s soul with pure air, with the rush of the brook, or with the shimmer of sun on blue water. It brings meekness and inspiration from the decency of nature, charity toward tacklemakers, patience toward fish, a mockery of profits and egos, a quieting of hate, a rejoicing that you do not have to decide a darned thing until next week, and it is discipline in the equality of men – for all men are equal before fish.”
President Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “The problems of juvenile delinquency decrease in direct proportion to the opportunities of our young people to enjoy outlets for their energies in sports...I have observed the resourcefulness and stability of young who have had an opportunity to learn how to take care of themselves...as fishermen.”
President Eisenhower was correct in what he said. Sometimes I wonder if many of the problems of our young people could not be solved by introducing them to activities that are wholesome and result in a greater appreciation of the world around them, not become hostile to it, and there is no better time than the present to introduce them to fishing.
Like many homes that are blessed with the internet, CNN, Fox News, and satellite television, the great state of Mississippi is blessed with quality farm ponds, reservoirs, oxbow lakes, rivers, and streams. We are also the beneficiaries of good fisheries management by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the USDA Forest Service.
Some of the events being held during National Fishing and Boating Week are: Turcotte Education Center (Turcotte Rodeo Ponds) – Katfishin’ Kids, June 2; City of Clarksdale (Coahoma County Fairgrounds) – Fishing Rodeo, June 2; Neshoba County Lake – Fishing Rodeo, June 9; and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Ponds at Grenada Lake (Grenada Rodeo Ponds) – Fishing Rodeo, June 9.
During National Fishing and Boating Week, I encourage you to carry your son, daughter, niece, nephew, or other young person fishing. The values it will instill will last a lifetime, and there is no better way to celebrate National Fishing and Boating Week while you still can.
And finally, another quote from President Herbert Hoover, “Fishing is much more than fish. It is the great occasion when we may return to the fine simplicity of our forefathers.”
James L. Cummins is executive director of Wildlife Mississippi, a non-profit, conservation organization founded to conserve, restore and enhance fish, wildlife and plant resources throughout Mississippi. Their website is www. wildlifemiss.org. The opinions in this column are Cummins’ and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Starkville Daily News or its staff.