Vamos a Pescar
It’s another beautiful August day at the Galilee docks and a group of people file aboard the Frances Fleet’s the F/V Lady Frances ready to depart for an afternoon of fishing.
This group of fishing enthusiasts is primarily composed of Spanish speaking families and youth bilingual leaders, accompanied by RI DEM staff (representing three divisions: Fish and Wildlife, Law Enforcement, and Marine Fisheries), USFWS Law Enforcement staff, USFWS Wildlife Refuge System staff, and Rhode Island Saltwater Angler Association volunteers. What is unique about this group is that they have only crossed paths over the summer by attending a series of fishing events coordinated by the Partnership for Providence Parks, the US Urban Wildlife Partnership, and RI DEM’s Aquatic Resource Education and funded by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation’s (RBFF) George H.W. Bush ‘Vamos a Pescar’ Education Fund.
So, what is Vamos a Pescar? Spanish for “let’s go fishing”, it is an initiative funded through a Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation grant focused on introducing safe and responsible fishing to Rhode Island’s Spanish speaking families. The main goal of Rhode Island’s program is to introduce different types of fishing to newcomers using the Steppingstones of Engagement approach. This approach allows families to become familiar with fishing in their neighborhood and then gradually introduces them to fishing in other parts of the state. We do this by offering three main events: an introductory freshwater fishing event at Roger Williams Park, a saltwater fishing and clamming event at DEM’s Rocky Point State Park, and a final charter fishing event. To accommodate RI’s Spanish speaking families, bilingual youth leaders provide translation services, including on-site translation as well as direct translation of hand-out materials. The fishing events are not exclusive, and we have welcomed many non-Spanish speaking urban families to the events over the years.
2024 marked the Rhode Island’s fourth year participating in the nationwide Vamos a Pescar program and it was our most successful year yet! This year, the event at Roger Williams Park in collaboration with the USFWS “Cops and Bobbers” program. Providence police, DEM, and USFWS officers attend interacting with the participants and helping them learn to fish. Some officers are even learning themselves. Other organizations such as Audubon of RI, the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, the National Park Service, and DEM’s Wildlife Outreach program, also attend this event, setting up fish and fish habitat focused tables. This year over 180 people attended the event, becoming Rhode Island’s single largest fishing event ever!
The saltwater event at Rocky Point State Park also saw record numbers with over 99 people registered and 80 people attending. Participants had the opportunity to learn about saltwater fishing from shore and learn how to quahog. Save the Bay even brought a touch tank for the families to observe Rhode Island’s ocean critters up close.
The third and final event was a charter trip aboard the F/V Lady Frances. Over the past four years, Frances Fleet has hosted the Vamos a Pescar participants. The charter experience includes providing all of the bait and tackle for the trip, deck mates to assist families with fishing, and fileting fish for families to bring home to cook. In order to participate in this event, the families had to participate in at least one of the previous fishing events. Staff from RIDEM, USFWS, and volunteers from Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA) were present to also interact with the families and assist with the fishing. This year, even a juvenile great white shark made an appearance while participants were fishing!
Two young participants investigate their summer flounder catch. Photo courtesy of Alison Schwarts, USFWS.
At the conclusion of this program participants completed a survey and wrote about what they liked most about the events:
- Learning to fish with help from the friendly staff.
- I like that many single parents may not have someone in their lives that takes them fishing, or even know someone who owns a boat — We saw a shark!
- Spending quality time with my kids and learning more about fishing and nature.
- Friendly, helpful staff who were very knowledgeable about all activities. Great having translators, very inclusive!
- Well organized! The overall opportunity to give my children that experience was amazing.
The survey not only helped gauge the program’s success, but it also identified areas where the program can improve the experience for next year. Such improvements include better communication and translations, as well as a call for more in-depth fishing instruction such as how to assemble a fishing rod. Overall, the survey allows the team to better serve the participants and demonstrates that the families want to learn more about fishing and the fish they are fishing for!
The Partnership for Providence Parks and RI DEM’s Aquatic Resource Education program is already planning for the 2025 fishing season. We have again received the grant funds from RBFF and look forward to an even better season!
