Trout Unlimited and Fly Fishers International formalize conservation partnership

Feb. 1, 2021  

Contacts:  

• Chris Wood, president and CEO, Trout Unlimited, cwood@tu.org  
• Patrick Berry, president and CEO, Fly Fishers International, pberry@flyfishersinternational.org 
• Mark Taylor, Trout Unlimited eastern communications director, mark.taylor@tu.org 

Arlington, VA — Trout Unlimited and Fly Fishers International have entered into a formal conservation partnership, consummating the collective conservation focus of each organization to greater substantive effect. 

The agreement formally recognizes and acknowledges the shared conservation commitments of TU and FFI on behalf of the organizations’ members, customers, and communities. It also establishes communication between the groups as they collaborate toward achieving mutual conservation goals.  

The partnership has been approved by FFI’s chairman of the board and president and CEO upon recommendation by the board’s Conservation Committee.  

Trout Unlimited President and CEO Chris Wood said the partnership makes good sense for both TU and FFI.  

“Fly Fishers International is driven by the three fundamental pillars of conservation, education and community,” Wood said. “That philosophy perfectly aligns with Trout Unlimited’s vision.  

“Because we share mutual conservation goals, we are natural allies.”  

Patrick Berry, President and CEO of Fly Fishers International, added: “FFI is dedicated to partnering with leading conservation organizations such as Trout Unlimited to ensure protection of our fisheries and their associated habitats for the benefit and enjoyment of the broader fly-fishing community. When we work together to achieve our collective missions, we are able to realize more success than working individually.”

When a group of avid fly anglers formed Trout Unlimited on the banks of Michigan’s Au Sable River in 1959, the founders envisioned an organization that would work toward shared goals of protecting and restoring trout, salmon and their watersheds. Trout Unlimited has over 300,000 members and supporters in more than 400 chapters throughout the U.S. 

Fly Fishers International, based in Livingston, Mont., was chartered in 1964 and is home to almost 270 clubs and 16 regional councils around the US and parts of the world. In addition to focusing on conservation initiatives, FFI provides premier virtual and in-person programming for fly fishing education, featuring the online FFI Learning Center as a centerpiece of this effort. 

Further, like TU, FFI focuses on the importance of a thriving community of individuals who value the camaraderie of angling and appreciate that learning never stops.  

Trout Unlimited is the nation’s oldest and largest coldwater fisheries conservation organization dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring North America’s trout and salmon and their watersheds. Across the country, TU brings to bear local, regional and national grassroots organizing, durable partnerships, science-backed policy muscle, and legal firepower on behalf of trout and salmon fisheries, healthy waters and vibrant communities.  

Fly Fishers International was formed by some of the most influential luminaries in the world of fly fishing and conservation, and actively works to preserve the legacy of fly fishing for all fish in all waters. Since its inception, FFI continues to focus on conservation, education, and community, serving FFI members, clubs, and councils around the world.