§ Over  4,000  lakes/reservoirs  

§ Over  20,000  ponds  (reg.)  

§ Over  840  miles  of  coastline  (ranked  3rd  )  

§ 1000s  of  miles  of  rivers  and  streams  

Fishing in California

$4.9B  Annually  in  Economic  Activity!    

Fishing Supports

Jobs! § Outdoor  Tourism  § Hospitality  § Retail  § Boating  § Manufacturing  § And  More  

 

§  CA  population  37  million  and  growing,  yet:  

§  CA  Ranks  Dead  Last  in  Fishing  Participation  

Fishing in Decline!

Access  Declining  and  Costs  Increasing  §  Proposed  Fishing  Gear  

Regulation/Ban  §  Fish  Stocking  Regulations  §  Marine  Life  Protection  Act  

(closes  850  square  miles  of  ocean  to  fishing)  

§  Unlawful  Local  Govt  Regs/Bans  (pier  fishing)  

§  State  Stocking  Undersized  Trout  

Contributing Factors/ Threats!

§  Created  CSL  in  2014  to  UNITE  anglers  

§ Uses  political  campaign  tactics  

§ A  grassroots  approach  to  mobilizing  anglers  

§  Social  media  based  §  Engage  small  businesses  dependent  on  outdoor  recreation  

California Sportfishing

League

§  National  Marine  Manufacturers  Assoc.    

§  Turner’s  Outdoorsman  §  Star  Milling,  family-­‐owned  manufacturer  of  high-­‐quality  fish  feed  

§  The  Fishery,  one  of  CA’s  largest  fish  farms  

§  Corona  Recreation  &  Imperial  Catfish,  owner  of  popular  fishing  lakes  in  SoCal  

Funded by Small Business

Dependent on Anglers

§  Full-­‐Time  Legislative/Regulatory  Advocate  § George  Osborn,  Osborn  Strategies  

§  Full-­‐Time  Communications  and  Political  Strategist  § Marko  Mlikotin,  River  City  Communications    

Staff of Seasoned

Professionals

Goal:  Unite  ALL  anglers  and  businesses  §  Influence  State  Legislature,  Governor  and  Fish  and  Game  Commission  

§ Educate  public,  media  and  policy  makers  

§ A  strong  grassroots  &  social  media  presence  

The Solution to Protecting

Fishing & Jobs!

§  Strong  Social  Media  Presence  (nearly  10k  FB  Likes)  

§  Credibility  w/Traditional  Media  

§ Over  1,100  Petitions  to  Protect  Pier  Fishing!  

§ Over  1,000  Petitions  to  Oppose  Fishing  Gear  Ban!  

§  Stopped  the  fishing  fund  raid!  

CSL’s Early Successes

Quickly Built Traditional Media Ties

Future Threats §  Effort  to  block  timeline  

assessments  of  MPA’s  §  If  timeline  assessments  are  abandoned,  it  would  be  impossible  to  determine  the  impacts  of  MPAs  on  the  environment  

§  Lead  Fishing  Gear  Ban  §  Fish  Stocking  Regulations  §  Financial  raid  on  fishing  programs  

A  Government  Watchdog  protecting  access  to  recreational  fishing  and  the  businesses  dependent  on  fishing’s  future!  

Benefits of CSL

§ Being  the  most  powerful  voice  for  CA  Anglers  by  growing  our  Board  of  Directors  &  sponsors.  

§ Grow  Fishing  Club  Membership  

§ Grow  social  media  presence  to  15,000  Facebook  Fans  

Organizational Goals

Closing