Contact: Aoibheann Cline, Western States Coordinator
From October 8-11, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) Western States Coordinator Aoibheann Cline spent the week at the American Sportfishing Association’s (ASA) Sportfishing Summit at the Skamamnia Lodge along the beautiful Columbia River Gorge in Stevenson, Washington. ASA is a long-time partner organization of CSF’s and represents the interests of the sportfishing industry across the country.
The ASA Summit brought together various segments of the sportfishing community to focus on shaping the vision for recreational fishing’s future and leadership in outdoor recreation. CSF represented the sportfishing communities’ interests on the Government Affairs Committee and the Freshwater and Saltwater West sub-committees.
Taking advantage of the ASA Summit’s location in the Pacific Northwest, the Summit also featured a salmon panel to address critical salmon management issues facing the West. Speakers included Tucker Jones, Ocean Salmon and Columbia River Program Manager at Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife; Kessina Lee, Regional Director for Southwest Washington at Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife; Kevin Schaffer, Fisheries Branch Chief at California Department of Fish and Wildlife; and Jim Fredericks, Fisheries Bureau Chief at Idaho Fish and Game.
Following the ASA Summit, Cline got to enjoy a day on the Columbia River fishing for one of the rivers most popular sportfish, white sturgeon.
CSF staff Aoibheann Cline with her white sturgeon on the Columbia River.
Studies conducted at both the state and federal level have found that the number of hunters and trappers have been on a generally declining trend over the past several decades. To increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters and trappers, which initiative do you think would have the greatest impact?
