Why It Matters: The pipeline of college graduates entering a field of natural resource management with a state or federal agency and who also come from an angling or hunting background has gone from a gush to a trickle in recent decades. Biologists and managers who grew up hunting and fishing tend to have a strong passion for giving back to the resource and providing similar opportunities for future generations. There are numerous programs now focused on addressing this challenge, including the Collegiate Sportsmen and Women’s Coalition administered by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. However, reversing this trend will require a collaborative effort across all sectors of our community, which is why CSF is proud to support scholarships from the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame (BFHOF), among other efforts of our partners.
Highlights:
- Each year, the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame offers substantial scholarships for prospective students who want to pursue careers as natural resource managers.
- The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) was honored to serve on the independent panel that sorted through the dozens of applications for the 2024-25 school year.
Last week, the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame (BFHOF) announced the recipients of its Fishery Management Scholarship Program, which is in its second year. These scholarships are intended to encourage and support high school and college students who are also anglers to aspire to pursue careers in natural resource management, and especially those who want to someday manage and enhance our fisheries resources.
In recent years, applicants for biologist positions with state or federal natural resource agencies are less likely to come from a hunting or fishing background. Yet, many of the positions they are applying for manage natural resources on the public’s behalf, including those who both fish for the enjoyment of being on the water in solitude, with family, or with friends, as well as those who fish to provide meals for the families. It is important that fisheries biologists truly understand the cultural and conservation values of recreational fishing, which is often inherent in those who came from a fishing and hunting background.
This year, eleven outstanding students have been awarded $2,500 each to further their studies in natural resource fields. The scholarship recipients are:
- Alex Avery, Missouri State University
- Brady Horton, Drury University
- Bradley Howell, Trent University
- Luc LaRochelle, Carleton University
- Nate Hull, Oklahoma State University
- Justin Lombardo, University of Illinois
- Tom Miles, Tennessee Tech University
- Morgan Noffsinger, Central Michigan University
- Marcus Prull, Auburn University
- Levi Umland, University of Missouri
- Samuel Vazquez, University of Arkansas–Pine Bluff
The applicants demonstrated exceptional commitment to the future of aquatic resources. The selection process was rigorous, with an independent panel of distinguished individuals in fishery management across the U.S. and Canada reviewing the applications. In addition to CSF’s Chris Horton, Senior Director of Fisheries Policy for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, other panel members included Phil Morlock, Director of Government Affairs for the Canadian Sportfishing Industry Association; Ross Self, Chief of Inland Fisheries for the South Carolina DNR; and Dr. Mark Rogers, Tennessee Cooperative Fishery Research Unit Leader at Tennessee Tech University.
Details and application requirements for the 2025 Fishery Management Scholarship Program will be announced later this year. For more information about the BFHOF and the Fishery Management Scholarship Program, visit www.BassFishingHOF.com.
