Contact: Clay Chester, Southeastern States Coordinator
On March 3, the Mississippi Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus) hosted their 12th Annual Sportsmen’s Caucus Fish Fry in Jackson.
More than 120 people, including more than 35 Caucus members, staff from the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP), and representatives from sportsmen’s conservation groups and the outdoor industry, gathered to celebrate Mississippi’s outdoor sporting traditions and discuss policies impacting hunters and anglers in the Magnolia state.
“Our annual Fish Fry is a tremendous event for the Mississippi sportsmen’s community, and I’d like to thank my colleagues in the Sportsmen’s Caucus as well as the event sponsors for their continued support,” said Representative Scott Bounds, Caucus Co-Chair and National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses Executive Council Member.
The Caucus Fish Fry grows every year, and the event this year had the strongest turnout in its 12-year history. Hosted in conjunction with the MDWFP, the annual fish fry provides an opportunity for policymakers to interact and discuss issues, like chronic wasting disease and feral swine, impacting sportsmen and women in Mississippi.
“As the largest bipartisan caucus in the Mississippi Legislature, we are committed and proven in protecting our state’s sporting traditions, and we value our working relationships with the MDWFP and our conservation partners and friends in both the public and private sectors. We were honored to have Kevin Watson, the General Manager of the Olin/Winchester center fire cartridge manufacturing facility in Oxford, MS offered remarks. Winchester remains a valuable partner to the NASC and our Mississippi Caucus,” said Rep. Bounds.
Mississippi’s 782,000 sportsmen and women contribute more than $3.02 billion to the state’s economy and last year alone generated more than $35.52 million for state-based conservation in Mississippi through the American System of Conservation Funding.
Mississippi Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus
members in attendance at the 12th Annual Sportsmen’s
Caucus Fish Fry last week in Jackson, MS.
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?
