Winners announced of FWC's School Fishing Club Conservation Project Competition

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)

The Chambers High School (Homestead, Florida) fishing team is the Grand Prize winner of the School Fishing Conservation Project Competition, presented by the the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) School Fishing Club Program. The students completed six conservation projects, including cleaning up and building monofilament recycling bins for their local waterbodies.

All student anglers who participated in the FWC’s 2022-2023 School Fishing Club Program were required to complete at least one conservation project to qualify for funding associated with the program. Prizes were offered as incentive for student anglers to complete multiple conservation initiatives throughout the year. Points were awarded in a variety of conservation-minded activities aimed at reducing the impacts of plastic pollution.

“Congratulations to these young anglers for their dedication to conservation,” said Tom Graef, FWC Director for the Division of Freshwater Fisheries Management. “They are making a difference by leading the way for the next generation of anglers with these creative conservation projects.”

Chambers High School won the Grand Prize, a private in-person custom rod building class with Mud Hole Custom Tackle. Punta Gorda Middle School (Punta Gorda, Florida) won the Second Place Prize, and A. Crawford Mosley High School (Lynn Haven, Florida) won the Third Place Prize. Prizes for second and third place winners were provided by Toadfish and Pure Fishing.

“Supporting youth education is so important to our mission at Mud Hole Custom Tackle,” said Anthony Youmans, Mud Hole’s Education Program Director. “We’re honored to contribute the Grand Prize in this year’s competition and are always supportive of FWC’s efforts to lead conservation projects here in Florida, our home state.”

In 2022, the FWC School Fishing Club Program welcomed 38 new and 14 returning student angling clubs to the program, which is also supported by the Division of Marine Fisheries Management, Division of Freshwater Fisheries Management, and Florida Youth Conservation Centers Network. The participating student clubs committed to complete the provided FWC curriculum and at least one conservation project. Club mentors provided support and hands-on training in knot tying and fishing gear assembly, as well as assistance with the clubs’ local events to increase student anglers’ confidence in the sport of fishing.

Information about the 2023-2024 School Fishing Club Program will be announced during the summer of 2023. For more information about the School Fishing Club Program, visit MyFWC.com/SFC.