Online Fishing License Assessment

RBFF recently announced the findings of a new fishing license mystery shopper study, which shows promising gains made by states in their online license purchase process. Each year, more and more consumers are purchasing a broader range of goods and services online, as well as from mobile devices. The Online Fishing License Assessment was conducted to gain a better understanding of the current digital licensing landscape and track improvement and progress over time since the last research study in 2012.

In the seven years since RBFF first conducted a study in the realm of online fishing license transactions, significant progress has been made, most notably:

• Mobile Friendly – All licenses were purchased successfully from a mobile device in 2019.
  • Only five states offered a mobile experience in 2012 (10x growth).
• Email Collection – 40 states require email collection at the point of purchase.
  • Up from 25 states in 2012.
  Press release: https://news.takemefishing.org/license-assessment-0720 

  Final report:    https://www.takemefishing.org/specialreport/?utm_source=press%20release&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=0720%20license%20assessment%20presser 
  

The AREA 2020 Training Conference is rescheduled.
AREA 2021 IS October 10 - 14, 2021.
Check back for Details and Registration.
Registration Open JUNE 1, 2021.

PA Fish & Boat Commission Hiring R3 Coordinator

"The R3 Coordinator will serve as the subject matter expert for the PFBC on strategies to recruit, retain, and reactivate (R3) anglers and boaters in Pennsylvania. The R3 Coordinator is directly responsible for creating new R3 strategies, as well as evaluating and enhancing existing R3 strategies within the PFBC to achieve internal goals and increase license sales. The R3 Coordinator will provide effective guidance and program management to both internal and external stakeholders regarding the PFBC's R3 programs and strategies, and will assist in the creation of a formal R3 Plan. The R3 Coordinator also assists with event planning, to include trainings, public and stakeholder meetings, workshops, and press events, as well as contributes content for the PFBC website, intranet, public emails, and social media pages. The best candidate for this position is a capable, experienced self-starter who is passionate about using appropriate data and industry best practices to effectively guide the PFBC in their R3 endeavors."

Link: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/pabureau/jobs/2790549/aquatic-resources-program-specialist-r3-coordinator

Career Vacancies

To view and apply for FWS positions, please click here: FWS Vacancy Announcements. If you have a question about a specific position vacancy, please contact the Human Resources point of contact listed at the bottom of the announcement.  For more information about FWS job opportunities and employee benefits, please visit our FWS Human Resources page.

Internships

Students interested in wildlife conservation and stewardship are encouraged to apply for our paid internships through our partnership organizations. Opportunities with FWS and other conservation agencies throughout the country can be found on the following partner's websites:

• Student Conservation Association
• American Conservation Experience*
• Hispanic Access Foundation/MANO Project*

*You will need to use the agency filter to see our internships offered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Moonfish: The First Warm-Blooded Fish 

https://www.livescience.com/50836-warm-blooded-moonfish-photos.html

https://techcrunch.com/2016/08/25/google-now-lets-you-explore-u-s-national-parks-via-360-degree-virtual-tours/

Available Now.

Responsive Management recently partnered with the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) on a major study to determine actionable strategies for angler participation and recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3). 
As America continues to change demographically, attitudinally, and technologically, the R3 community must understand the implications in order to better address the needs of current and prospective anglers. With this in mind, RBFF and Responsive Management undertook substantial new human dimensions research to determine how fishing can stay relevant in a constantly evolving society. Click here for our newsletter highlighting study results.
Funded under a Multistate Conservation Grant, the project entailed a scientific, probability-based nationally representative survey of more than 3,000 U.S. residents (including supplemental oversamples of African-Americans, Latinos, and Asian-Americans) and two series of focus groups, one with general population residents in a diverse set of locations across the country and the other with angler R3 professionals. In addition to providing an updated look at motivations, barriers, and interests among active, sporadic, lapsed, and non-anglers, the study examined the roles of social media, smartphone apps, and other innovations in angler participation and R3.

Click here for an RBFF infographic based on the study results.

Click here for an RBFF news release on the project.

Click here for the full study report from Responsive Management.

Mark Damian Duda
Executive Director, Responsive Management
Certified Wildlife Biologist ®
130 Franklin Street. Harrisonburg, VA 22801. 540-432-1888. fax 540-432-1892

VA Refer A Friend to Fish Campaign Case Study

"In 2019, the Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries (DGIF) launched the Refer-A-Friend To Fish campaign in April with the objective of motivating current licensed anglers in Virginia to recruit new people to fish. The VA DGIF also focused on improving the marketing strategy implemented earlier in 2018. This was done with social media advertising along with an earlier campaign launch l to coincide with the spring fishing season."

Link to the study: https://nationalr3plan.mn.co/posts/va-refer-a-friend-to-fish-campaign-case-study