New campaign touts fishing and boating for stress relief

As COVID-19 continues to wear on Americans’ mental health, Take Me Fishing and Discover Boating have launched a new public service campaign called Get On Board to raise awareness about the wellness benefits of fishing and boating.

The campaign is informed by the latest consumer research from the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF), the national nonprofit organization behind the Take Me Fishing brand.

According to the current Special Report on Fishing, “relaxing and unwinding” is the number one experience associated with the activity. The report also found that nearly one in three participants say the best thing about fishing is “getting away from the usual demands of life.”

“Fishing isn’t just about the fish,” said Stephanie Vatalaro, senior vice president of marketing and communications for RBFF. “People have long turned to fishing and boating for stress relief. Given the uncertainty in today’s world, there’s something uniquely appealing about the calming effect of the water. For many people, fishing and boating are lifelines to mental health and wellness.”

Additional data suggests that interest in fishing and boating has continued to grow amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a recent poll, one in five Americans say they are now more likely to try the activities than they were prior to the pandemic.

“The outdoors is a welcome remedy to stress and anxiety,” said Dr. Sue Varma, a nationally recognized psychiatrist partnering with Take Me Fishing. “Being in nature supports each of the four ‘M’s of mental health: mindfulness, mastery, meaningful engagement and movement. Fishing in particular encourages mindfulness by helping you get away from distractions, it supports mastery by teaching you a new skill, it provides meaningful engagement through quality time with others you may be quarantining with, and it promotes physical movement by getting you outside without requiring a strenuous workout. Looking at fishing from a psychiatrist’s perspective, it’s a smart way to follow social distancing guidelines while prioritizing your health and wellness.”

Those interested in joining the Get On Board movement can visit www.TakeMeFishing.org/GetOnBoard or www.DiscoverBoating.com and use the social media hashtag #TheWaterIsOpen. Website resources include how-to guides for getting started fishing and boating, an interactive map of places to fish as well as local water-access updates to help people recreate responsibly.