North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission's John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Center

The John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Center in Fayetteville, NC was constructed in 2007 and is the only fishing education facility of its kind in North Carolina.  The center offers recreational fishing instruction during Fish-for-Fun events, educates the public on aquatic natural resource conservation through programs and exhibits, provides support for statewide fishing events, provides a home base for a mobile aquarium, and distributes fishing tackle to parks participating in the Commission’s Tackle Loaner Program.  The facility consists of a 4,800-square foot education center with classroom; exhibit hall, featuring a 5-foot tall redbreast sunfish model that helps visitors learn about fish identification, morphology and internal anatomy; 10 ponds that provide fishing opportunities for various game fishes; and a universally accessible fishing platform and adaptive fishing gear ensure anglers of all abilities can participate.  In FY 2011, the center hosted 104 Fish-for-Fun events, attended by an estimated to be 7,240 people (4,731 children).  By partnering with the Wounded Warriors Battalion in Fort Bragg, the center hosted 11 fly-fishing clinics for 245 wounded soldiers returning from combat duty.  The John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Center won the American Fisheries Society’s 2009 Outstanding Project of the Year for Aquatic Education.