Urban and Community Fisheries Programs: Development, Management, and Evaluation

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ Fishing in the Neighborhood Program

Richard J. Walsh, James T. Levitt, and Mark L. Nemeth

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9781934874042.ch22

Abstract.—The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources expanded its urban fisheries management efforts in 2001. The Fishing In the Neighborhood (FiN) Program was created in response to stagnant angling license sales and changing demographics. The program operates in the Minneapolis–St. Paul (Twin Cities) metropolitan area—a seven-county region of 2.5 million people. The FiN Program works collaboratively with local governments to create and enhance shore-fishing opportunities, and currently manages over 60 small lakes. The program’s primary objectives are typical of most urban fishing programs: increase/improve angling opportunities, aquatic education, promote local angling opportunities, and evaluation. Additional objectives are to build local resource stewardship through habitat restoration projects and respond to changing regional demographics. Trends in the FiN Program’s outreach efforts and angler demographics at FiN-managed lakes indicate that the program is meeting many of its objectives. From 2003 to 2007 there has been a 90% increase in views of the FiN web page and a 500% increase in the number of fishing pond maps distributed. Over 50% of the anglers surveyed at FiN lakes in 2003 were from the program’s most heavily targeted demographic group—youth under age 16. We attribute these trends, at least in part, to effective promotion and demographic strategies. However, it remains to be seen if these strategies will result in increased angler recruitment and retention. Angling license sales data for Twin Cities’ counties from 2000 to 2005 do not show an increase for the 16–20 year age-group.