The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) was established in 1939 as a nonprofit organization committed to the conservation of game fish and the promotion of responsible, ethical angling practices, rule making, record keeping and recognition of outstanding angling accomplishments around the industry.
As part of their 80th anniversary celebration in 2019, they developed a free online certification called the IGFA's Intro to Fishing course that offers a digital curriculum covering angling basics and safety, aquatic and marine biology, fish anatomy, environmental stewardship, and more! The course is online and all you need to do in order to access the materials is to sign up for a free account on their website.
Teaching Our Next Generation to Fish
A big part of our youth was learning how to fish from our parents. During the process, a lot of our best memories were made with family and friends while holding a fishing pole. There is no better way to bond with each other and nature than reeling in a big catch and having someone help you net it. Thats why we are so excited to hear about this free educational opportunity to teach our youth about the basics of how to fish in a structured way.
IGFA Educational Goals
The goal of the IGFA Online course is to provide free education to our youth or novice anglers. This will empower them to be willing to purchase a fishing license, rod and reel and tackle required to go out and fish in a responsible way. The content of the course is structured to teach about fish and the ecosystem they live in, the basics like what baits to use and ways to ensure you are an ethical fisher. The IGFA's Intro to Fishing course is the first of several online resources planned for release and presented on a fun, interactive learning platform with videos and pop quizzes along the way to test your knowledge.
Free Intro to Fishing Course Chapters:
- The fish
- The habitat
- The basics
- The ethical angler
- The IGFA
