By Rodney Hsu

Almost two weeks have gone by, I finally have a chance to reflect what went on at Fish for the Future 2003. As the organizer of the event, I was very satisfied. Just two months ago, the idea of staging a kids fishing event in Steveston was being toyed around on my mind constantly. I was eager to invite every single kid in the Lower Mainland to experience what I have enjoyed for years, but at the same time I feared fishing would not be able to compete with computer games, shopping malls and many other artificial stimulation that children encounter these days.

The objective of Fish for the Future was simple, to encourage kids to angle, conserve and respect our aquatic resource. We invited kids from the Greater Vancouver Region to take part at our event. Since Fishing with Rod was launched two years ago, the idea of such an event had hovered around my mind constantly. After consulting with Chris Bos at BC's Family Fishing Weekend Society two months ago, the idea finally became an actual plan.

My intention was not only to make sure everyone would have a great time fishing, but I wanted each participant to be more aware of the major issues that are currently surrounding this fantastic sport. To achieve this, I invited some of the local environmental groups, these included Pacific Streamkeepers Federation, OWL, Burns Bog Conservation Society, and BC Hydro Powersmart.

To further enhance the interactiveness of the event, I invited several experienced fly tyers from fishbc.com who manned a booth where kids could tie up flies of their own design. This was the most popular station of the event. Many kids were able to take home several flies that they can try out in the next fishing outing.

During the event, wind became our major obstacle. The strong easterly wind created some chaos when our volunteers were setting up the tents. Once the tents were stabilized, it was show time. Families began to arrive at the event around 11:00am, and by noon, the floating dock was filled with enthusiastic kids who were eager to catch a fish or two.

As the day went on, fish started to emerge at the end of the fishing lines. Young participants could put the fish that they caught in our aquarium so they could observe the fish. It was a popular exhibit. Onlookers spent hours staring at peamouth chub and sculpins as they swam around. Observation is always the best method to understand an organism's behaviour. By the end of the session, everyone was able to differentiate between benthic and pelagic, or herbivorous and predatory fish species.

Overall, we estimated 250 to 300 people attended our first Fish for the Future, a solid indication that tells me such a function will have a big demand in the future.

Fish for the Future was assembled in such a short time, and it couldn't have happened without the help of some of the local businesses. My thanks go out to Redl Sports Distributors, Berry's Bait and Tackle, Delta Tackle, Stillwater Sports and Nikka Industries for the donation of their products such as fishing rods, reels, fly tying material, hooks, weights, lures and line. Eagle Eye Signs in Maple Ridge was extremely generous by producing all the signs and banners for the event with no cost, I appreciate their support very much! City of Richmond, Sportfishing Institute of BC and Fisheries and Oceans Canada were three major sectors who we consulted greatly. Finally, I can not thank the dedicated volunteers enough for their hard work on June 14th.

This has been a exciting learning experience for me as an organizer. I am looking forward to next year's event, which will most likely be grander. I hope to see you all again at Fish for the Future 2004!