Recognizing the increased regulation of natural resources, and growing restrictions on public access to them, the National Professional Anglers Association (NPAA) is planning to widen its membership base to create a national voice advocating responsible regulations that impact fishing.
“Our association recognizes the importance of working with state and federal government agencies to protect our aquatic resources, and assure continued access to them by the public”, said Pat Neu, NPAA’s Executive Director. “We are striving to become a strong national voice to speak on behalf of anglers. As a group of angling professionals we are committed to protecting the sport we love and the resource itself!”
The NPAA is just now beginning to reach out to avid anglers across the country to enlist their help in protecting the sport. “All of us in the fishing community understand that protecting our sport means protecting the resource we utilize, and we understand better than most how to enjoy the resource responsibly. To become an affective voice for the resource and the sport we need to grow our numbers”, said Neu.
The mission of the NPAA is to; “Grow the sport of fishing and increase the professionalism of its members.” “We currently have more than 600 professional members, and we are now ready to actively recruit the next generation of anglers who want to learn how to take their passion for the sport to the next level,” Neu said. He went on to explain that the group has begun networking with other fishing related organizations to promote its objectives and to expand its membership base. The NPAA is a multi-species organization that provides educational, networking, and developmental support for individuals who have taken their passion for angling to a professional level. Members include avid anglers who are guides, tournament anglers, promotional staff members and angler educators from across the country.
When asked about the future Neu said, “Our angling future relies on the next generation of anglers and access to a healthy resource. We have to have both, and we are reaching out to the national angling community to help us ensure that both flourish well into the future.”
Neu went on to explain that one of the primary activities of the NPAA in recent years has been to engage in outreach and education aimed at cultivating the next generation of anglers. Using what the NPAA has titled “Future Angler Events”, the NPAA with support from the Future Angler Foundation (FAF), has provided angler education and fishing equipment to thousands of young anglers over the past few years.
As part of the outreach and education process this past year alone the NPAA gave away nearly 3,000 rod/reel combinations, and more than 3,500 “Future Pro” T-shirts to support the 92 “Future Angler Events” they hosted. The number of events scheduled for 2014 will exceed 120. Neu pointed out; “That a large part of learning the skills of angling involves learning about fish habitat and how to protect it.” To that point each NPAA “Future Angler Event” includes a segment on the impact Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) can have on the resource and fish habitat. “We feel these young impressionable anglers are the perfect ambassadors for the Stop AIS campaign!” said Neu. At every event we share the powerful “Clean, Drain, Dry” message with these young anglers knowing that they will share this important message whenever they get the opportunity.
You can learn more about the NPAA and its member programs at www.npaa.net. Information on the Future Angler Foundation and their programs is available at www.futureangler.org . For additional information on either organization you can contact Patrick Neu at (920) 856-6151.
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