18(a) Describe the mission/purpose of your proposed gTLD

Prototypical answer:

As a popular sporting activity, fishing has a diverse following amongst both professional and amateur enthusiasts. The goal of the .FISHING domain is to give fishing enthusiasts of all levels the ability to share the ideas, methods, tips, equipment and best-practices necessary for the improvement of fishing skills, as well as educating the public on the state of oceanic, river, and lake fishing and the problems they face.

In a five-year study done in a partnership between the American Sportfishing Association, the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, and the Sport Fish Restoration organization, an accurate picture of fishing in the United States was developed. The average number of fishing license buyers in the United States per year is estimated at 28 million. Of those, nearly 80% are male, with a 57% likelihood of being over the age of 40. Most anglers purchase a license in their home state. (Source: http:⁄⁄www.rbff.org⁄uploads⁄Research_section⁄Related_Research⁄ASA-AFWA_License_Analysis_Summary_Report_2006.pdf)

The global fishing-equipment market is projected to be over $20 billion by 2015, with fishing rods, reels & poles representing the largest product-segment. (Source: http:⁄⁄boatworktimes.com⁄fish-mainmenu-29⁄supplies-mm-138⁄949-fishing-equipment-market-to-exceed-203-billion-by-2015.html)

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 70% of worldwide fisheries are either over-exploited, in danger of becoming over-exploited, or fully depleted, creating a problem for feeding future generations. Nineteen countries and the European Union account for 90% of the world’s marine fisheries. (Source: http:⁄⁄archive.greenpeace.org⁄oceans⁄globaloverfishing⁄deadahead.html)

An estimated 40 million tons of unwanted fish are destroyed and dumped back into the ocean every year due to unregulated and poor fishing practices. Of the 3.5 million fishing vessels in the world, 1% (35,000) are large-scale, high volume fish processing vessels that represent half of the world’s capacity and take 50%-65% of all fish caught in the world. (Source: http:⁄⁄archive.greenpeace.org⁄oceans⁄globaloverfishing⁄deadahead.html\)

According to the United Nations, the world’s fisheries are in danger: “Using nearly 50 years of data collected by the United Nations, a team of scientists has catalogued how in one ocean after another fishing fleets have first caught the big, valuable stocks, then worked their way down the food web, catching more and more of the smaller species. The scientists predicted that at the current rate of fishing, many fish stocks could be eliminated within 25 years.” (Source: http:⁄⁄archive.greenpeace.org⁄oceans⁄globaloverfishing⁄deadahead.html.)

Fishing is both a utilitarian activity to gather food, a sport, and even an art form. An large community exists based on the common interest in fishing, and growing on the sharing of methods, tips, knowledge, and expertise built on years of experience. This community is incredibly open and excited to share knowledge with people interested in learning the skills needed to become a fisher.

The .FISHING top-level domain will offer professional and amateur fishers the opportunity to better connect with one another and create a system of support for their common passion. The .FISHING domain will also give fishing equipment companies the chance to better engage with their customers, helping customers to make more informed decisions about what equipment to purchase, while also helping educate the public on the future of fishing in the world.

The .FISHING top-level domain will provide an identifiable means for manufacturers to communicate with potential customers, commercial fishers, sport fishers, people in the fishing business, organizations and businesses that associate or identify with fish and fishing. .FISHING will provide a platform for sites that discuss commercial fishing and sustainable fishing practices.

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