Our Commitment to Environmentally-Friendly Fishing
From our inception, we have been committed to supporting the environment and promoting sustainable fishing practices both in the USA and other countries.
• We donate at least 1% of our revenues to environmental organizations that support fish species and their habitat.
• Between excise taxes and our 1% donations, every Tenkara USA rod purchased helps contribute an average of $14 to conservation efforts.
• We organize periodic stream cleanups. Volunteers and our team members have collected thousands of pounds of trash from streams.
• We are almost plastic-free in our packaging and will reach that goal by the end of 2023.
Tenkara USA is the only tenkara company committed to
donating at least 1% of its revenues (sales, not profits) to environmental organizations.
Main Organizations We Support:
Trout Unlimited | Leave No Trace | River Network | American Rivers
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 promote eco-friendly fishing practices, protect trout habitat and marine mammals, and maintain fish populations.
Our membership with 1% for the Planet is our commitment to supporting environmental organizations that look after the local and international 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 in the 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, the 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 fishing gear 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 a 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.
Trout-friendly Company
Fostering a passion for fly-fishing and backing it up by supporting organizations that help care for trout habitat is a part of who we are. Tenkara USA is proud to support the good work of environmental organizations such as Trout Unlimited and is completely honored to be named one of America’s Most Trout Friend Companies by Trout Unlimited.
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 and eco-friendly and sustainable fishing habits.
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.