FECOP Collaborates with the IGFA on new program designed to teach kids about fishing and conservation

Hands on learning tools support new youth education initiative

Marina Pez Vela, Costa Rica – Saturday July 14, 2024 (FECOP Staff) – Local kids from Quepos, Costa Rica descended on Marina Pez Vela to experience the IGFA signature fishing workshop for kids “Passports to Fishing” where they learned about basic tackle, knot tying, casting, conservation and how to be good stewards of the oceans.

Dozens of wide-eyed kids learned from some of Costa Rica’s best captains, mates and Federico Hampl the Costa Rica representative of the IGFA. Seeing this many kids away from their cell phones and learning about what could not only be a new passion, but a new career in Costa Rica’s recreational fishing sector was a beautiful sight.

After registration and completing each learning station, the kids passports were stamped and once all of the stations were successfully completed, the passports were presented to the IGFA representative (Federico Hampl) and each child received a rod and reel to use for the day.

The kids then paraded down to a local bridge in Quepos where they learned to attach bait to the hooks and got their lines in the water. The IGFA believes that understanding these foundational aspects of sport and recreational fishing is essential to the development of an ethical angler who is confident to continue expanding their angling experiences. At the end of the event each child received an IGFA certificate of workshop completion.

One of the most important themes of the day, conservation, focused on safely releasing fish (species of touristic interest including sailfish, marlin, roosterfish, and tarpon) and the importance of keeping Costa Rica’s fisheries and coastal areas healthy for future generations.

“Children are the key to the future of recreational angling and it’s vitally important that we get young people out on the water and teach them how to be ethical and responsible anglers.

It was truly miraculous to see this many kids learning, smiling and connecting with nature in the absence of cell phones. The event was hosted by Marina Pez Vela and sponsored and assisted by FECOP. Learn more about the IGFA’s signature kids fishing program below.

What is the IGFA’s Passports to Fishing?

Four years ago the IGFA developed a youth education initiative to promote game fish conservation and ethical angling practices with the goal of teaching 100,000 children to fish. The IGFA Passports to Fishing program provides turn-key “fishing clinics in a box” to the organization’s international network of supporters.

The concept is relatively simple. Participants receive an IGFA passport upon registering at the event, and then rotate through the various educational stations to learn the following: basic tackle, knot tying, conservation, casting, safety, and environmental stewardship.

So far, the IGFA has distributed 150 IGFA Passports to Fishing kits in 40 different countries on six different continents and in multiple languages. These kits contain everything needed to execute this highly acclaimed youth education clinic, including: educational station materials about basic tackle, knot tying, conservation, environmental stewardship, casting and angling safety, as well as rods and reels and basic fishing tackle for saltwater and freshwater fishing locations. All of the materials, including the rods and reels, will remain with the host individual or organization, with the concept that the materials will be reused in future youth angling clinics.

Each child who completes the IGFA Passports to Fishing program will be counted towards the initiative to teach 100,000 kids to fish around the world and receive a commemorative certificate from the IGFA.

Building a new generation of ethical and conservation-minded anglers will ensure that there are future stewards and advocates for marine and fresh water species and habitats, and it will serve as an essential method of developing productive, lifelong relationships between individuals and the outdoors.