2005 Sportfishing Summit
Reels, Boats, Cars and Moustaches!
The Thursday morning opening session got high marks from the Summit
attendees. Ron Ten Berge, executive vice president, North America,
Pure Fishing, Inc., set the stage for the session by providing an update
on angling participation in the United States.
As Ten Berge told the audience, fishing is alive and well—it’s
an American pastime. However, no matter which source you choose to
trust, most are showing worrisome downward trends. For industry, declining
anglers mean declining sales. For conservation and resource agencies,
declining anglers hurts fisheries management revenues. Key for both
segments is that declining anglers reduces political support for positive
legislation, and reduces defense against harmful -legislation.
Fishing may be declining, but it is still in demand and is still a
popular sport. People aren’t fishing like they used to and industry
must do more to encourage fishing and to help people overcome barriers
that are blocking the ability to fish.
Another View
Keynote speeches and presentations were
given by Brian Corcoran, director, Corporate Marketing, NASCAR; Carl
Blackwell, vice president, Marketing and Communications, the National
Marine Manufactur-ers Association’s “Grow
Boating” program; and Kurt Graetzer, CEO, Milk Processor Education
Program (the Milk Moustache campaign) during the Summit Signature Morning
Session.
Each speaker provided insight into the success of their organizations.
For NASCAR, success rests in the competitive, entertaining nature of
racing mixed with a devoted and growing fan base that have a real sense
of belonging to the “family.” For the “Grow Boating” initiative,
it’s creating a personally relevant experience. For the long-running “Milk
Moustache” campaign, it’s all about finding a way to stand
out; doing a few things really well; managing expectations; and working
together to solve industry’s problems.
