Oconto County Board primed to support fishing tournaments

By: 
NEW Media Staff

Oconto County and the city of Oconto are teaming up to help secure and promote fishing tournaments as a tourism attraction.

Six tournaments based at Breakwater Park in 2020 generated an estimated $2.13 million worth of economic impact, according to Paul Ehrfurth, executive director of the Oconto County Economic Development Corp. (OCEDC).

The city of Oconto working with OCEDC committed to using $13,500 from the Oconto Industrial Fund in support of fishing tournaments in 2021, 2022 and as opportunities arise.

In a measure forwarded to the Oconto County Board on Thursday, Jan. 21, the county Forest, Parks and Recreation Committee recommended that the county provide another $15,000 and supports also hosting tournaments at North Bay Shore County Park in the Town of Little River.

“I can’t overemphasize the importance of these fishing tournaments to the economy of Oconto County,” Ehrfurth said.

It’s estimated that fishing tournaments held around the Bay of Green Bay have an economic impact in the neighborhood of $264 million annually.

The county’s investment would be drawn from the board’s contingency fund.