Learn to Fish program
Yamaha Motor Canada
An additional 2,000 children from rural BC communities will learn how to fish in 2017 thanks to a new partnership announced between Yamaha Motor Canada and the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC.
The Freshwater Fisheries Society has been introducing anglers to freshwater fishing through the Learn to Fish Program since 2006. Yamaha Motor Canada joins the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Columbia Basin Trust, Rapala, BC Chrysler Dealers, and Teck Highland Valley Copper in generously supporting the program and helping a whole new generation of anglers learn how to fish in British Columbia.
“The Society manages many great and notable projects throughout the province,” said Jeff Barter, Yamaha Motor Canada’s District Sales Manager for the B.C Interior, Sunshine Coast and Lower Mainland. “The Learn to Fish program is key to nurturing future stewards of the water and its wildlife. These principles are very much in tune with Yamaha’s philosophies so we’re excited about this partnership.”
The Learn to Fish program was developed in 2006 in response to the documented decline in freshwater angler participation, following a peak in recreational fishing popularity in the mid 1990’s. Learn to Fish events are hosted for youth aged five to 15 and their families, and all equipment is provided. Participants learn about fish habitat, how to identify their catch and how to fish responsibly. They also get hands on experience while learning about casting and retrieving, as well as tips for catching fish.
In 2016, more than 30,000 youth and their parents participated in the program at 900 different locations across BC. As the Learn to Fish program entered its second decade of teaching BC youth how to fish it reached another milestone, welcoming the 200,000th participant to the program.
Support from Yamaha Motor Canada and its roughly 40 Outboard dealers in British Columbia, means the Freshwater Fisheries Society will be able to expand the program into additional rural communities next summer, making it easier for youth and their families to experience the sport together.
“There is a growing interest in freshwater fishing across BC, and the best way to facilitate that interest is to make fishing more accessible. By bringing programs closer to where people live, we’re reducing barriers for people to give the sport a try,” said Andrew Wilson, president, Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC.
Learn to Fish programs are held at BC Parks and regional and municipal parks throughout the spring and summer. The Freshwater Fisheries Society also hosts programs at their Kootenay and Fraser Valley Trout Hatchery ponds.
The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC sincerely thanks our program sponsors for their vision and commitment to introduce youth across British Columbia to fishing and to inspire future stewards of the resource.
For more information on the Learn to Fish program, please visit gofishbc.com.