Our Commitment to Environmentally-Friendly Fishing

1% for the Planet

Tenkara USA has been a 1% for the Planet member since its inception. Every year we donate 1% of our revenues to well-managed environmental organizations that protect trout habitat and maintain fish populations.

Our membership with 1% for the Planet is our commitment to supporting environmental organizations that look after the waters we fish. Our commitment to donate 1% of our total revenues to support the fishing industry is set-in-stone. Whether we are profitable or not, you can be sure that the more people buy a Tenkara USA rod, the more money is sent to organizations that help keep the waters you fish clean for future generations.

Getting rid of plastic

In early 2020, we started moving away from all single-use plastic used in our packaging. Now, we are currently 90% single-use plastic free within our company!

We probably don’t have to elaborate much on the negative consequences that the human consumption of plastics is causing to our planet. Let’s just say, it is a big deal. It is everywhere, and we don’t want to contribute to that.
Our commitment to moving away from all single-use plastic used in packaging of our eco-friendly fishing gear wasn’t a whole lot to begin with. We had plastic bags wrapped around the rod cases to keep them from getting scratched, handles of rods were wrapped in plastic to keep them intact, and some products were packaged in plastic. As we have used up the plastic materials we purchased in the past, we have been replacing plastic with paper. We still have a good number of lines that are in plastic packaging, and it makes no sense to replace them before we sell them, but once these lines are out, we will have completely eliminated plastic from our packaging.

Products from which we eliminated plastic packaging

•  • Tenkara rods
•  • Tenkara rod handles
•  • Tenkara rod cases
•  • Level lines
•  • Furled tapered tenkara lines
•  • Fly boxes
•  • Flies
•  • T-shirts

Products we still need to transition away from plastic

•  • Tapered nylon lines, still in a plastic envelope, new paper packaged to be used as soon as we sell out our current inventory
•  • Keeper, still in plastic bags stapled to paper header card, new box coming soon
•  • Trucker hats, will get rid of the bags in our next batch

Excise Taxes

10%* from the sale of every item we sell is passed on to the Fish and Wildlife departments of state governments. This tax, levied on sport fishing manufacturers based in the US, is used to manage the places we fish. *up to $10 per item

On average, every Tenkara USA rod set sold will mean $16 is passed on to protect the waters we fish.

Many anglers do not realize that sport fishing equipment companies based in the US pass on 10%* from the sale of every item they sell to the Fish and Wildlife departments of state governments.
Between fishing license fees and excise taxes, anglers are the largest contributor to the management of water habitats. Tenkara USA is proud to play its part.
This is an excise tax levied on sport fishing equipment manufacturers, such as Tenkara USA, to support sustainable fisheries. It is an additional tax to our 1% for the Planet commitment.
*up to $10 per item

Cleanups and Trout Stewards

The simplicity of the tenkara fishing method has allowed thousands of people to take up fly-fishing in the last few years. Tenkara is trout friendly because it makes it easy for more people to fall in love with trout.

When people get introduced to the beauty of the freshwater ecosystems in which we fly-fish, they will want to look after those waters. Tenkara has introduced many people to sustainable fishing; with that, we have helped create many new stewards for the environment.
We hold stream cleanups and events periodically to help continue to do our part in conservation. Follow us on Facebook, or keep an eye on our events page for updates on cleanup opportunities.