BACKLASH

Florida Fishing Academy

Captain Richard Brochu

BY CA STAFF

Capt. Brochu helps a student show o his catch.

Captain Richard Brochu is the founder of the Florida Fishing Academy (FFA) in Palm Beach County. Since 2006, FFA has used fshing as a way to teach kids positive life skills, steering them away from things like gangs and drugs and toward a lifetime of enjoyment on the water. FFA uses an after-school program along with summer camps and special events to engage kids with fshing, kayaking, snorkeling and other forms of watery fun. From just one school and 50 kids in its frst year, the program now reaches almost 2,000 kids annually across 10 different locations.

CA: How did you get started teaching kids about fshing?

RB: It started with my daughter. I’m originally from Maine and fshed when I was young. I didn’t start fshing again until my wife bought me a rod and I started fshing in lakes here in Florida. I later got into fshing ofshore. I was a very avid fsherman, but I didn’t have a clue about what I was doing. I caught fsh, but mostly by accident. In 2006, I injured my back—not seriously—and had to take some time away from my construction business to let it heal. I got bored and decided I needed to learn more about fshing. One day, while picking up my daughter at her after-school program, I asked the instructor if there were any programs to teach kids (like me) how to fsh. She said, “No, would you like to start one?” So I did. We began with one program in one school, but by 2009, it had grown to the point I decided to do it full time.

CA: Are you a better fsherman

now? What did you teach the kids?

RB: I hope so! Maybe a little bit. I found a program used by the FWC [Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission] called Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs. We started with that and it was great. I continued to refne the course and fnd out what works for us. I learned fast that

kids need to get involved doing things and be handson. Mostly, we’re an after-school program, but we do summer camps and special events, too. Right now, our minimum class is 10 to 12 weeks long with one or two fshing trips.

We cover all grade levels, and in high school, we even do some job training and job placement. We also recently adopted a new curriculum for high school kids. It’s from the LifeSkills Training Program and is proven to be very efective. We teach fshing and water sports, but really we’re keeping kids on a clean, healthy lifestyle. We basically teach common sense.

CA: What kind of

conservation message do you give?

RB: We talk about respecting the law and being responsible for the resources. Many of these kids don’t even know there are laws to follow—that you can’t just take any fsh you want out of the water. So that, in itself, is big. One of the lessons we use is to separate a class into three groups. We have a big selection of crayons and each group gets to take some. The frst group is told to take whatever they want and as many as they want. The second group is told to take what they want but to think about leaving some for the third group. By the time the third group gets their turn, just the broken leftover pieces are left. We tell them that the three groups represent three generations: their parents, them and their children. Right now, we’re in the second group. If everyone keeps taking what they want out of the water, there isn’t going to be much of anything left for those who come next.

CA: How do the kids

respond?

RB: With things like the crayons, you can kind of see the light bulb go of in their heads. They really start to get it. I’ve also found that if kids can get in the water to go snorkeling and see what’s below, then they have more of a respect for the ocean. When they’re standing up fshing, it’s personal now, not just “grab a fsh and go.”

CA: Ever had a kid really

surprise you while on the water?

RB: Yeah, I’ve had kids go up to people fshing on the pier and confront them because the fsh in their bucket is out of season or under the size limit. That’s fne, but I had one kid actually pick up the person’s fsh and dump them back in the water! I think the person was more shocked than anything. We had to tell the student that’s not the best way to handle things.

CA: What’s the forecast for

FFA in the near future?

RB: Well, right now we’re in about seven elementary schools and in 10 facilities overall. There is plenty of demand for more programs—we just need staf and funding. One thing that’s new is we’re about open a Guy Harvey Outlet Store in a donated building in Boynton Beach. Our plan is to ofer jobs to our high school kids and give them some real-world work experience. They’ll have to go through a two-stage interview process and everything. Already, we’ve been able to give some of our high school kids job skills, like CPR and lifeguarding certifcations so they can work as lifeguards. I can even hire some to work in our own camps. Beyond that, there are always opportunities to do more.

CA: How can people get

behind what you’re doing?

RB: We’re a 501(c)3 non-proft, so people can make tax-deductible donations. We also accept donations like vehicles and boats. And for people in the area, we can use volunteers, too.

The FFA boat has been decked out with a special Guy Harvey art wrap. Right: Florida Fishing Academy conducts both after-school programs in schools as well as day camps and special fshing trips that help kids experience the water frst-hand.