2003 has been an eventful year on Fishing with Rod, and we certainly have accomplished a lot. Since the launch of this website in 2001, my goal has been to motivate more anglers to be involved in activities that may be beneficial to our sport and the environment. Sportfishing, after all, has negative impacts on our natural resources, just like all the other recreational activities. The best we can do is to minimize these impacts by being responsible and sensible.

In 2003, The Chilliwack Vedder River Cleanup Coalition was busy putting together a program that is desperately needed in British Columbia. Our Adopt-a-River program aims to eliminate the on-going garbage problem by creating a stewardship between anglers, local residents, and the heavily used Vedder River. CVRCC was founded in 2002 by me and several other avid local Vedder anglers. Currently, there are four organized cleanups per year and over 50% of the Lower Fraser River has been adopted by local residents, clubs and schools. This is extremely satisfying after months of negotiating with various political groups, including the City of Chilliwack. In 2004, we plan to expand this program so that the entire fishable stretch of Chilliwack River will be adopted. It’s an ongoing problem that requires an ongoing solution. This takes dedication and I hope members of the sportfishing community will continue to strongly support us!

Fishing with Rod also leaped beyond the cyber space in 2003! During spring, we attended numerous fun community fishery events such as the Fingerling Festival and the Great Salmon Send-off. These annual events bring awareness to urban streams that are making a comeback despite the fact that they face so many threats such as pollution and habitat destruction on a daily basis. It’s important to acknowledge the effort of hard-working volunteers who are on a mission to save these endangered waterways. In 2004, we will be attending these events once again, so be sure to stop by our booth.

So why doesn’t Fishing with Rod just host an event? In 2003, we did just that. With the assistance of BC Family Fishing Weekend, we hosted “Fish for the Future” in Richmond. This is significant because Richmond lacks this type of events. Fish for the Future gave many kids the opportunity to attempt fishing and learn about the diverse aquatic ecosystem in the Lower Fraser in one day. I was both surprised and satisfied by the response that we received! This certainly is a great motivation boost and I look forward to putting together a great weekend in 2004.

The popularity of this website has grown tremendously. In 2003, the average monthly page view reached as high as 350,000! I look forward to bring readers of FWR more exciting stories, photos and reports in 2004, and please do come out to participate in our events. Thank you for being a loyal supporter of FWR!

Rodney Hsu
Webmaster

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