National trends have indicated a decline in fishing license sales, which are a principle source of funding for fisheries conservation efforts at the state level. Moreover, fishing enthusiasts have historically been the most outspoken proponents for active fisheries management and aquatic habitat protection programs. Thus many state fisheries agencies are now talking about the need to market fishing in a manner more typical of commercial agencies. A survey was done in 1996 of all state fisheries agencies to determine what they were doing in the realm of fisheries marketing. Those results were presented at the 1996 American Sportfishing Association meeting. The survey was then replicated in 1998 for presentation at this meeting. The conclusion is that most states recognize the problem and consider marketing to be part of the solution; however, to date most have been slow in implementing marketing plans. A few examples of proactive marketing are cited.
