Fly fishing gives most of us a lot. Bucky Buckstaber, our guest in this episode, asked what it would look like to give something back using the thing he loves. His answer is the Fly Fishing Collaborative, a group that builds aquaponics farms for orphanages, safe homes, and communities around the world. It is one of the stories that reminded me why I started this podcast.
From the fishing gene to a mission
Bucky describes what he calls the fishing gene, that pull some kids feel toward water and fish from their earliest memories. He grew up in a single-parent home and taught himself to fish, until a trip to Montana introduced him to fly fishing. Over the years he worked with many kids, and he came to a simple conclusion: fly fishing that only serves yourself is fine, but he wanted to use it to make an impact in the world.
What an aquaponics farm does
The idea came from friends who had learned to build aquaponics farms and used that skill to help orphanages become more self-sustainable. In an aquaponics system, fish and plants support each other in one loop, so a community can grow its own fish and produce. The Collaborative takes that model on the road, building farms and then handing them over to the people who will run them. The builds are hands-on and take a team a matter of a couple of weeks.
Where the work is headed
Bucky described projects lined up in Belize, Peru, Uganda, and Honduras, with a long list of other communities planned over the next few years. The Collaborative brings volunteer teams to share the work, and he spoke about how rewarding it is to hand a finished farm to a community.
How to help
You can learn more at flyfishingcollaborative.org, follow them on Instagram, sign up for their newsletter, or ask about volunteering on a farm build. If you would like to support the broader fly fishing community while you are at it, our FFIP Angler's Coffee mug is a nice way to start an early morning, and your local fly shop is always a good place to ask about conservation and community groups near you.
