Capt. Lucas Bissett joined host Tom Sadler on September 28, 2022 for latest of the Network’s monthly Waterside Chats (now available as a podcast). Lucas is the executive director of the American Fly Fishing Trade Association, and he’s also an award winning saltwater fly-fishing guide, a member of the Marine Fish Conservation Network’s National Policy Council and a stalwart conservation advocate. Lucas and Tom – old friends and fellow fishing guides – talked about:
- Why fly fishing is such a central part of Lucas’s life, going back to his childhood in Louisiana
- How Louisiana – which loses a football field of land to the sea every 100 minutes – is the poster child for the devastating effects humans can have on an environment
- How the Black Mangrove Project, which Lucas founded, has blossomed into something far larger than him
- Why it’s impossible to have any conversation around a marine or freshwater fishery without talking climate change
- Why we need to include climate-change components into all of our fisheries management regimes
- How fly-fishing can unite us past the partisan squabbles. Once you experience a day of fishing with someone, he says, that person becomes a real friend
Lucas also highlighted Tomorrow’s Fish, an AFFTA project that “contextualize the importance of engaging in saltwater fisheries conservation”. Watch the episode to learn about this project and much more. You can also join the Network’s email list to learn about future Waterside Chats.
