Maybe you’ve never heard of the RFA. We aren’t the most vocal or flashy organization. We don’t have an office full of teenagers managing our social media accounts and reposting well composed hero shots from other anglers. We don’t have the sexiest stickers, hats, or t-shirts and we don’t have extravagant fundraiser banquets where we feed you booze and attempt to raise money from you and your friends.
What we are is a political action organization that has been operating since 1996 to protect the rights of saltwater anglers, marine, boat and tackle industry jobs and ensure the long term sustainability of U.S. saltwater fisheries. We are a group that works daily to understand the issues that threaten access to our nation’s saltwater fisheries. We are a group that is in Washington on a weekly basis working for you. Our regional representatives are working with your state representatives to see that our fisheries are managed in a way that ensures your children’s children will be able to enjoy them as you have.
Some people may ask, “Well, where was the RFA when red snapper was closed?”. We’re proud to say that we led over 5,000 anglers in protest to Washington and opened federal litigation against NOAA Fisheries and the Secretary of Commerce. We lost in the end but we are still bringing the fight every day.
This is just one example of many where the RFA was first on scene to protect your right to fish. We didn’t badger our membership for funding to fight this battle. In fact, most of our funding comes from our corporate partners in the fishing industry.
What we do need is support from you so that we can show Washington, NOAA, NMFS, PEW, and everyone else that threatens the future of recreational fishing that we have VOTES. All we ask is that you support the RFA with a $35 annual membership and that you stay in touch with us so we can keep you informed about the issues affecting your fisheries.
We’ve recently overhauled the RFA website to streamline our communication with our membership and the recreational fishing community. You can utilize this site to Alert the RFA of an issue whether it be local, regional, or national. You can access our monthly newsletter “Making Waves” to read about what is happening in the industry. We will have regular updates on our blog and social media outlets so that you know what we are doing to protect your rights.
We’re growing and we’re moving forward. We’re not perfect, we’re not flashy, but we’re damn good at what we do. We’re making changes to better serve recreational anglers in a digital and social world while maintaining our commitment to stay in the trenches and keep up the fight. In an age where success is measured by the number of social impressions a group has, we still measure ourselves by the results we achieve. It’s easy to amass an army once the damage is done, but we’re working every day to prevent bad ideas from becoming law.
Please follow us on Facebook and Instagram, ask questions, share issues with us, and most importantly, join us and help make sure that recreational fishing is here to stay.