Marine fisheries restoration through education and public involvement.

The Recreational Fisheries Research Institute or RFRI has long been an integral part in the development of improved fishery data collection, habitat restoration, and the fostering of a catch and release, citizen-scientist driven movement amongst Louisiana’s recreational and tournament anglers. The partnership of recreational anglers and scientist help everyone conserve the resource while maintaining access to great times spent outdoors and on the water. A variety of projects have branched out from this common goal and each one has been successful in its focused goals.

RFRI is a non-profit organization formed exclusively to conduct marine fisheries restoration through education and public involvement. Fostering diverse partnerships and engaging anglers in data collection are key objects leading to successful projects.

For the past 20 years RFRI has built a population/team of citizen scientists to gather data which could be used as a proactive management tool rather than the industry standard, reactive.

This is accomplished by establishing community-based fund raising events where marine conservation and fisheries habitat restoration and protection are at the focal point. All of these events are organized and executed by volunteers. Experts are invited to present information on the conservation front, educating anglers on actions they can take to be part of the restoration effort.