Via the hard-working adults at MidCurrent comes news of a New York Times article about the freefall in the number of youth anglers:
According to a 2007 United States Fish and Wildlife Service report, there was a minus-20 percent change from 1990 to 2005 in children who had ever participated in fishing, with declines occurring nationwide.
“Decline” is right. The New York Times created a handy little map detailing the regional declines; the “Pacific Region” leads the nation with a 34% drop, and the Mountain region is right behind at 29%.
Big losses out West. (NY Times)
All the usual suspects are trotted out as reasons — from overworked families to urban lifestyles to parents largely fearful of the outdoors.
Of course, this means fewer anglers on your local stream and lake, but it also means fewer anglers to care when your local stream or lake is pumped dry by Nestle a sleazy multinational.
Thoughts from the Underground? Are we gnashing our teeth, or happy for the space?
[tags]fly fishing, midcurrent, new york times[/tags]
As a supplier to the ff industry, we’ve watched a pronounced shift at the retail level. The bubble that formed after “The Movie” was relatively short lived and seemed to engage the wrong demographics, feeding the yuppies with consumer lust but not really attracting the young newbies so important to sustaining this great sport.
I believe parents are the front line in the battle. When they don’t preach the outdoor lifestyle to their kids, other things will fill the void.
Get your invite yet, TC?
Don George(Quote)
My fear is that the coming generations will live further and further away from the land in general. I’m even noticing this trend in myself, oddly enough, and I’m not thrilled with the development…
Will(Quote)
two thoughts:
1) the big environmental organizations spend no time trying to learn about or cooperate with the Boy Scouts or the NRA, the two principal organizations that take an active role in introducing young people to the out of doors. The enviros think youth outreach is filling classroms with didactic, apocalyptic screeds.
2) Fishing licenses are nearly voluntary in most cases. In 50 years of fishing on public waters I have *never* been asked to produce a license. As licenses become more expensive, and as they are used to find cheaters on child support, etc. (and I am not defending the louts who evade child support!), fewer people bother.
Philip(Quote)
When I was introduced to fishing the only thing I was worried about was…nothing. I just had an institutional green fishing rod, an ancient reel and a tool/tackle bax. – I had no idea I should have been fishing a 1,100,000 modul graphite rod with a 49 ball bearing reel packed neatly in my 3 mpg SUV… I didn’t get fishing at all when I was a kid.
Jonnycat(Quote)
Young people are into the outdoors, but they are into skateboarding, snowboarding, rock climbing etc, adrenaline sports. Eventually when their bones get tired of being beaten to a pulp they will find that the pace of fishing might fill a void in their lives left by their aging bodies’ inability to keep up with the thrasher lifestyle. Trust me i used to do all of the above, and now I fish.
ethanopia(Quote)
I think this is a predictable trend. As “Mocha-Latte-Frappachino” has replaced percolators, it’s logical to assume that we are getting farther from the Great Outdoors.
Many of us were exposed to fishing by our folks. As less parents engage in the sport, we can expect less kids to participate.
This is a good thing, as fishing is the closest thing I have found to intravenous drug use…
Look in the mirror lads, the glassy stare, the shaking hands, uncontrolled sweats, and the need to get a “fix” is upon us. As April winds down to a close, how many of you have plans to abandon wife and family, lie to the Boss, and vanish for an extended binge weekend?
It’s a good thing. It means that all subsequent generations have a chance at curing cancer, or being the President of these United States…rather than piss away their existence in a fish enduced half-life, battling with guilt and denial.
…and it makes life easier for us codgers. Now we don’t have to worry about some young prick that has fished half as much as us – catching more than we do, casting further than us, or knowing more latin. Instead, we can cluster in the parking lot, appeasing the Demon with Lies, Half Truths, and Mosquito repellant.
kbarton10(Quote)
Many people are introduced to fishing by an older family member who knows the outdoors, has experience in the sport and is familiar with an area. With families spread out(moving, divorce, etc…), older family members, who may have more time when their kids are gone or they retire, aren’t as close to their young relatives.
Today’s kids have less freedom and more structure. My kids have Spanish and piano plus each does a sport. They have more gradeschool homework than I did. We are less time commited than many families we know. Today being a “good parent” means activities for the kids and you are usually involved– watching, coaching, waiting around, etc… Its hard to find time to fish.
Growing up in a small town with an overgrown mediocre/poor trout stream about 1/2 mile away, I could often fish when I wanted. I could go out on my bike with the black and white Zebco and return home 3-4 hours later without concern. I live in a more urban area and would not give my kids that same freedom.
Finally, and I know all this sounds curmudgeonly, kids are used to alot of media stimulus: i-pods, cable, and internet. Fishing is not always compatible with this short attention span theatre. In their defense, I will say that my kids are not squeamish. They prefer to bait fish and there is something heartening about a 7 year old girl who is happy to put her own worm on her own hook.
Steve(Quote)
I totally agree…times have changed, and time itself has shrunk. Back when I was a kid, I spent the better part of March through November outside, fishing. I could just go through my backyard and have my pick of canals, swamps, and bayous to fish in. For $2, I could pick up a pretty good lure at the discount store. Now, the lures cost $6-7, the kids have school backpacks that would service an expedition to Everest, and so many activities that they end up too tired to sleep, if that makes any sense. There’s never enough time, and it makes one wonder what’s the point?
I have introduced my three girls to fishing, and they love it…but I can’t help but feel that they are getting cheated, that they’ll never have the easy freedom that I had as a child.
ijsouth(Quote)
It seems clear the rural lifestyle is losing ground to the urban version (which automatically limits access to the real outdoors).
Organized sports? Internet? Video games? Unreasoning parental fear about letting your kid go any farther than your front yard? Probably all true too.
As for Kbarton, I didn’t know you were the original screenwriter for “Reefer Madness.” You’ve been outed… 8-)
Tom Chandler(Quote)
I often have dreams where I find myself fishing at 2 am at the trout tank at the local Chinese supermarket. Swishing the line past the rows of rice cookers and over the restless lobster to lay the dry fly on the recirculated waters of the farmed rainbows hoping to catch the big one.
I need to get out more often.
Brain dead in Silicon Valley.
Gerry Chandler(Quote)