AFFTA Announces Fisheries Fund Grantees

The American Fly Fishing Trade Association has announced the newest recipients of AFFTA Fisheries Fund grants: the St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana Black Mangrove Planting Program and Keepemwet Fishing.

Read more in the press release below.

AFFTA Announces Fisheries Fund Grantees

The AFFTA Fisheries Fund is pleased to announce the St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana Black Mangrove Planting Program and Keepemwet Fishing as our newest Fisheries Fund grantees.

Here’s a bit about the missions we’re supporting:

• St. Bernard Parish Government (SBPG) and Nicholls State University (NSU) forged an informal partnership last year to initiate a Black Mangrove Planting Program in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana.

The program is focused on increasing black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) habitat along the eastern outlying islands of the Biloxi Marsh Complex in St. Bernard Parish for the purpose of: (1) restoring/creating essential fish habitat; (2) increasing the overall health and resilience of the coastal ecosystem, including providing habitat for a number of threatened and endangered birds and (3) reducing risk to life and property.

• The mission of Keepemwet Fishing is to minimize the impact of catch & release (C&R) angling on fisheries by uniting conscientious anglers, organizations and companies to promote science based practices for handling fish that are released. The age of social media has made photographing nearly every fish standard practice, resulting in extended handling times and elevating impacts to C&R (catch & release) fisheries.

“Keepemwet C&R 2017” is an outreach program aspiring to educate angling communities with science based facts, empower individual anglers to make positive change, and unite a culture of conservation.

The fund, established in late 2014, is focused on the funding of funding organizations and projects focused on fisheries conservation and education. Read more about the Fisheries Fund and help support the program here.