Abstract

A good management of the fishing resource includes the collaboration of scientists, managers, fishermen and users. The Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Program (MRFSP) of Puerto Rico emerged in 1999, a time when social media were beginning and communication between interested sectors was little, mostly through writing communications or in-person presentations. With advances in technology and agencies moving to social platforms, in 2019 the PEPRM created a page within the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources of Puerto Rico portal focused on recreational angler education. Being under the agency's official, this page was difficult to access, and it takes several steps to obtain the information, which is why in 2021 the MRFSP creates a group on the Facebook© platform and an Instagram© account to have direct contact with the recreational fisherman and the users of the resource. Both the Facebook group and the Instagram account grew fast thanks to educational content that includes trivia’s, descriptions of important species, navigation tips, conservation topics, and suggestions of topics of interest for the community. Currently, there are 4,958 followers on both platforms. There was a great need on social media for a group that interacted with recreational fishermen and the community in general; it was essential for us to create accounts where educational publications were shared. The scope of each publication