Governor Walz & DNR Commissioner Expected to Attend
Rogers, Minn. (April 29, 2022) — MN-FISH Sportfishing Foundation and Coalition is hosting the first State of Minnesota Fishing Summit on May 3rd at Clam Outdoors. This historic event will bring together leading stakeholders, DNR and government officials to discuss strategies for improving fishing throughout Minnesota.
Governor Tim Walz is expected to attend, as is DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen and other senior DNR staff.
“Sportfishing generates a $4.4 billion in economic impact annually in Minnesota,” said MN-FISH Executive Director Mark Holsten. “Good fishing is also good for our economy, so it just makes sense that we come together to figure out what is going well and where we can improve things.”
The State of Minnesota Fishing Summit will focus on four primary objectives:
- Gather perspectives on the state of fishing and its economic importance locally and statewide
- Identify the barriers to better fishing
- Identify potential solutions for solving priority issues affecting fishing
- Identify specific strategies for strengthening relationships between stakeholders to achieve common good
Minnesota is one of the nation’s most popular fishing destinations. Annually, 1.4 million anglers purchase a fishing license in the state.
Anglers and other interested stakeholders can join the Minnesota Fishing Summit live from 12:30 – 4:00 PM CST by going to MN-FISH’s Facebook page on May 3rd and joining the free livestream. Video from the Fishing Summit will also be saved to MN-FISH’s YouTube Channel.
In addition to hosting the State of Minnesota Fishing Summit, MN-FISH’s C-4 Coalition arm is working hard at the capital this spring to secure needed funding to improve the state’s crumbling fish hatcheries and boat access ramps and docks.
Per the Minnesota DNR, more than $90 million is needed to upgrade the state’s fish hatcheries to meet current and future fish production needs. An additional $37 million is needed to upgrade state boat accesses.
“MN-FISH is working hard on behalf of Minnesota anglers and related businesses,” said MN-FISH president Ron Schara. “Please join us by becoming a member of MN-FISH and lend your voice to this growing organization.”
Memberships are available on MN-FISH’s updated website: https://mn-fish.com
