Urban and Community Fisheries Management Committee Approved

During the Fisheries Management Section business meeting in Ottawa, the
Urban and Community Fisheries Management Committee (UCFM) was approved as an
ad-hoc committee. Its purpose is "to serve as a means for urban and
community fisheries managers to better communicate, learn from one another,
and advance the effectiveness of urban and community fisheries management."

Nearly all state fisheries agencies have specific programs focusing on
management of urban fisheries. Urban fisheries management is rooted in
traditional fisheries management and many of the same techniques (e.g. fish
stocking, creel limits, and habitat improvement) and strategies used on
traditional waters are applicable in urban areas. However, urban fisheries
require more intensive management to maintain utility. Urban fisheries
managers need to have a strong foundation in traditional fisheries
management, but also in marketing, public relations, budgeting, planning,
research, and aquatic education. Urban and community fisheries are a means
for fisheries agencies to stay relevant to the public, increase political
clout, and ultimately maintain a strong constituency. If urban and community
fisheries fail, or are not fully established, agencies will become less
relevant to society, license sales will continue to decline, and all other
fisheries efforts will be hindered.

The Fisheries Management Section served as a sponsor for both the 1983 and
2007 Urban Fishing Symposiums and is the most logical home for this
committee. Anyone interested in any aspect of urban and community fisheries
management is welcome to join. Committee membership is free; however, you
must be a member of the AFS Fisheries Management Section to join. A main
benefit to those who join will be access to either a list serve or blog.
This will keep the conversation going on urban and community fisheries,
provide a mechanism for coordinating future efforts, and increase the
effectiveness of all our efforts. If you would like to be a part of this
committee, please email your contact information to one of the committee
co-chairs below.

Tom Lang

Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks

(620) 672-0722

t...@wp.state.ks.us

Rick Eades

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

(402) 471-5445

rick.ea...@nebraska.gov