Aquatic Resources Education Association: Assessing Challenges, Insights and Opportunities with Aquatic Education Programs

As the primary steward of aquatic resources, state fish and wildlife agencies recognize the importance and need to educate a wide range of audiences.   However, our programs are faced with significant challenges, including changing demographics and recreation trends that affect our primary funding sources (fishing license revenue and funding from the Sport Fish Restoration Program), maintaining agency support in light of reduced budgets and competing priorities, changes in education curricula requirements, and increased efforts to recruit and retain anglers.  The Aquatic Resources Education Association remains as the leading organization to effect changes in policies and programs associated with state fisheries agencies’ education programs and associated federal policies.   Results and implications from our recent survey of Association members identified trends in state agencies’ education efforts that may have long term detrimental impacts for the conservation of our nation’s aquatic resources and increasing the public’s support and understanding of aquatic resources.