Conservation Corner: June 5, 2000

National Fishing Week
by James L. Cummins

National Fishing Week is June 3 through June 11, 2000. This is the perfect time to celebrate Mississippi's bountiful fisheries resources, as well as relax.

Let's look at a few quotes regarding fishing...

President Herbert Hoover once said, "Fishing is the chance to renew one's soul with pure air. It brings meekness and inspiration, reduces one's egotism, smoothes over troubles and shames our wickedness."

And President Dwight D. Eisenhower said, "The problems of juvenile delinquency decrease in direct proportion to the opportunities of our young people to enjoy outlets for their energies in sports...I have observed the resourcefulness and stability of young who have had an opportunity to learn how to take care of themselves...as fishermen." I wonder how my "friends" for strict gun control think about that?

President Eisenhower was correct in what he said. Sometimes I wonder if many of the problems of our young people could not be solved by introducing them to activities that are wholesome and result in a greater appreciation of the world around them, not become hostile to it. And there is no better time than the present to do it. According to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, 85 percent of freshwater anglers are introduced to fishing by age 13.

Like many homes that are blessed with the internet, CNN and satellite television, the great state of Mississippi is blessed with quality farm ponds, reservoirs, oxbow lakes, rivers and streams. We are also the beneficiaries of good fisheries management by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the USDA Forest Service.

To celebrate National Fishing Week, the following fishing rodeos have been organized: Grenada Lake, June 10; Lake Bogue Homa, June 10; Lake Perry, June 10; University of Mississippi Forest land, June 17; Holmes County State Park, June 24; and Roosevelt State Park, August 1-4; Paul B. Johnson State Park, September 30, and; Kemper County Lake, October 14.

During National Fishing Week, I encourage you to carry your son, daughter, niece, nephew or other young person fishing. The values it will instill will last a lifetime. And there is no better way to celebrate National Fishing Week why you still can!

And finally, a conservation message by Forrest Gump, "When you go fishing', never keep the little fish. You won't eat them, and the big fish will."

James L. Cummins is Executive Director of the Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation in Stoneville, Mississippi. Known as "Wildlife Mississippi," the Foundation is a non-profit, conservation organization founded to conserve, restore and enhance fish, wildlife and plant resources throughout Mississippi.