Chryston Best-Otubu is a Ph.D. student and NOAA EPP LMRCSC fellow at the University of Miami. He started a successful fishing club in February 2022, and it has since grown to include 20 graduate students.
“Since coming to the University of Miami, friends and mentors have told me amazing stories about the freshwater and saltwater fishing opportunities in South Florida,” Chryston said. He began exploring the local environment and was exposed to new ways of fishing.
“I became so enamored with the bounty of South Florida, and when talking to non-fishing friends, who expressed keen interest in the sport but did not know where to begin, I tried looking into a fishing club,” he said.
When Chryston found no existing club, he started his own.
The University of Miami Fishing Club aims to educate students unfamiliar with fishing and encourage them to embrace it as a hobby, build connections, and encourage sustainable fishing practices and environmental responsibility through hands-on club expeditions and seminars.
Chryston said the club helps his doctoral research by exposing him to the state of the ecosystem more often. Because of his research, Chryston is familiar with problems that can arise from recreational fishing, including few or no regulations on harvest for some vulnerable species and environmental challenges leading to habitat fragmentation and loss.
“Education is an integral part of the solution. If someone does not see or understand the impact of habitat loss or overfishing on these recreational/commercial species, how can they gain a holistic view of such a complex issue?” Chryston said.
Not to mention, it’s a lot of fun to see the smile on someone’s face when they catch their first fish, he said.
