FWC commissioners approve development of grant program
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission commissioners approved staff development of an R3 Fishing Grant program at their meeting on May 1 near Tallahassee.
The FWC is striving to increase participation in freshwater and saltwater fishing through an effort known as R3 – Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation. Recruitment of new anglers, retention of active anglers and reactivation of lapsed anglers are important to the future of conservation funding.
R3 programs are focused on increasing and diversifying the fishing participation rate of different age groups and backgrounds over the next 10-15 years. The rule amendment allows the FWC to offer grants to partners helping achieve participation goals, assisting with fisheries research and evaluating the effectiveness of R3 programs.
Funding derived from fishing and boating activities supports management programs tasked with ensuring Florida continues to meet the needs of stakeholders with a vested interest in Florida’s aquatic resources. The intent of the grant program is to allow stakeholders the ability to partner with the FWC on facilitating R3 programs, expanding R3 reach and increasing the participation rate of under-represented fishing groups in the angling community.
For more information, visit MyFWC.com and click on the “Florida’s R3 Fishing Action Plan” link in the center of the page. To view the R3 Fishing Grant Program Guideline Draft or questions, contact Conor Hughes at Conor.Hughes@MyFWC.com or 850-617-6012.