COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - July 16, 2009 – More than 10,000 people have taken the Recycled Fish Sportsman’s Stewardship Pledge since 2006 and their lives, and our waters, are better for it. Members take the pledge to join Recycled Fish, a non-profit organization that encourages anglers to practice stewardship on and off the water, ‘because our lifestyle runs downstream.’ A recent member survey shows this pledge is making a big impact.

The survey findings reveal that simply taking the pledge results in better educated anglers. Over 92 percent of members say they’ve learned more about what living a lifestyle of stewardship means since joining Recycled Fish. Members move beyond just catch and release, gaining knowledge about what else serves to improve water quality is part of becoming a steward of this important resource.

“80 percent of anglers now release most or all of their catch,” says Teeg Stouffer, Executive Director of Recycled Fish. “We want to catch more and bigger fish, so at Recycled Fish, we’re expanding the message to include an entire lifestyle change that will have the same results. Whether it’s switching to a low-flow shower head or changing the way we take care of our lawns, it all matters because our lifestyle runs downstream.”

That knowledge is resulting in action. More than 65 percent of members say they have altered habits and decisions to be more in line with a lifestyle of stewardship.

Most importantly, more than 90 percent of survey respondents say their membership makes them part of something larger than themselves. “We advance the Stewardship Ethic by creating a movement of anglers- people who have a passion for healthy waters- and activating that passion,” says Stouffer.

Engage. Educate. Equip. This is what Recycled Fish set out to do with the Sportsman’s Stewardship Pledge. Live events help to share the message, including the national 24 Hour Fish-A-Thon on September 18 & 19, 2009. Other tools, such as the weekly Stewardship Tip e-mail, live events around the country and grassroots education through media partners is leading anglers to see themselves as sportsmen and stewards of their craft.