Bridging the Gap between Scientists and Anglers: The Black Bass Conservation Committee's Social Media Outreach Efforts

Abstract

As the use of social media becomes more common among fisheries scientists and resource managers, case studies of ongoing outreach efforts can provide insights on how to increase the effectiveness of such programs. Herein, we summarize efforts to engage anglers and the general public with outreach messages related to black bass Micropterus spp. diversity and conservation via the Black Bass Conservation Committee's Facebook page. Specifically, we detail how we continue to build our audience, generate impactful content, and facilitate engagement and interactions with our audience. We end with some lessons learned while running this social media outreach page and discuss the outlook of these efforts, including opportunities to integrate citizen science.