|
 "Gone
fishing" will soon be the new slogan heard ringing throughout
the halls of the Patchogue-Medford
Library in Patchogue, NY. NOAA announced a new Fishing Tackle
Loaner Program that will allow kids and parents to use their
local library cards to check out a complete set of fishing tackle
from the library just like they check out a book.
A ribbon cutting ceremony to
celebrate the occasion was held in late September at the Patchogue-Medford
Library information booth during the Patchogue Clam and Crab
Festival, at the Watch Hill Ferry Terminal on West Avenue in
Patchogue. Several dignitaries and local legislators attended
the ceremony, including New York State Senator Ceasar Trunzo.
The first fifty individuals to check out a salt water rod, reel
and tackle box were allowed to keep the tackle box when they
returned the rod and reel.
The Patchogue-Medford Library
is the nation's first site to loan salt water fishing gear. The
program is designed to introduce children and others to the outdoor
activity of saltwater angling. The library has increased its
number of fishing magazines and book selections and is planning
to hold several workshops on fishing techniques.
"We're excited about the
Fishing Tackle Loaner Program because it enables our kids to
enjoy fishing without any financial obligations while also learning
about angling ethics and conservation practices," said Rolland
Schmitten, the director of the National
Marine Fisheries Service. "It is also a wonderful family
oriented activity that increases appreciation of our important
marine resources."
"We worked hard to make
this, the nation's first marine tackle loaner site, a model for
future expansion," reported Bill Price, the director for
marine recreational fisheries program for the National Marine
Fisheries Service. "A significant portion of the U.S. population
lives near the coast, and this program will give kids and others
the opportunity to try saltwater fishing - and to try it is to
be hooked."
The other partners in the new
loaner program are the New York Fishing Tackle Trade Association,
the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, the American
Sportfishing Association, the Long Island Beach Buggy Association,
and the New York Sport Fishing Federation.
The fisheries service is an agency
of the Commerce Department's
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The agency conducts
scientific research, marine fisheries management, trade and industry
assistance, law enforcement, and protected species and habitat
conservation. |
