(Mostly) good news regarding fate of receiving 2020 Fish Ohio pins

 

The long-delayed journey of the state’s 2020 Fish Ohio program pins is finally seeing daylight just as the sun rises on 2021.

Or not.

Launched 40 years ago the state’s Fish Ohio program annually attracts several thousand participants. Each of these individuals now can print out their own certificate but who are awarded a pin by the Ohio Division of Wildlife for their first submitted catch.

Anglers catching a qualifying member from one of 25 eligible species earn a Fish Ohio award, based on length only. And an angler catching a qualifying member from four or more eligible species earns a Master Angler title and an upgraded pin.

Of the 25 eligible species, five have separate Lake Erie and inland waters minimum length, too.

Recipients typically start receiving their pins beginning as soon as late winter or early spring.

However, a series of unfortunate events saw the pins – which cost about 40 cents each and were made in the Peoples Republic of China – sputter, stall and put the brakes on the program.

Blame COVID-19 which created problems with production and delivery from China of the pins. The situation grew worse as the year progressed as the hacking of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ web site also made submitting Fish Ohio application problematic.

Earlier in 2020, the Wildlife Division called the situation “fluid” with many “moving parts.”

Now, at long last, the fluidity appears to have jelled and those moving parts are functioning again without the grit to gum up the works. Well, maybe not entirely, anyway.

“We have been updated by the vendor that the Fish Ohio pins are produced, packaged, and have been setting on the dock ready to be picked up by the shipping company, (but) it appears that even the Fish Ohio pins are not immune to the shipping struggles that are currently being experienced,” said Brian Banbury, the Wildlife Division’s Executive Administrator for Information and Education

“We will get them processed and sent out to our successful anglers just as soon as we receive them.”

As for the tally of 2020 Fish Ohio applications, the number of entries thus far is 17,256. That compares to 16,196 total entries for all of 2019.

The Wildlife Division also issued 857 Master Angler awards in 2019.

“We do not have (yet) 2020 broken down for Master Angler,” said Brian Plasters, the Wildlife Division’s Publications Editor.

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

JFrischk@Ameritech.net

JFrischk4@gmail.com