We speak for the guppies: Matoaka Bottom Feeders foster environmental appreciation

The College of William and Maryʼs fishing and conservation club promotes community, outdoor recreation, sustainability awareness

Come warmer days and gentler breezes, you will surely nd students hanging out at Lake Matoaka, a cherished spot for winding down and nding peace in nature. However, these waters may not be as still as before.

Matoaka Bottom Feeders President Xavier Starrs ’24 founded the campus shing and conservation club Matoaka Bottom Feeders two years ago. Promoting outdoor recreation and sustainability awareness, the Bottom Feeders ll up the lake with activity and, in the process of having fun and exploring, also keep Lake Matoaka cleaner and better maintained for future students.

Starrs said he set out with a simple intention when he founded the club: to create a safe and interactive space for students to gather during the stringent COVID-19 restrictions that de ned his freshman year.

ere were no activities, no events,” Starrs said. “So, I turned to my buddy Dudley in ROTC, and I was like, ‘Hey, let’s get people outdoors.

Let’s get people engaged in a safe way.’” e members have ve core values: education, conservation, mental health, sustainability and inclusivity. ese core values ensure the members both nd greater signi cance in their shing adventures and give back to their community. Since members do not need to have prior experience to join, Starrs and his executive board members dedicate themselves to imparting their knowledge and skills to novices. e emphasis on conservation and sustainability is two-fold: rst, the members care about Lake Matoaka’s quality of wildlife, second, they adhere to a “leave no trace” policy so that future generations can enjoy all the lake o ers. Mary Reduzzi ’24, the club’s conservation coordinator, explained how they put these values in practice.

“Education [involves] showing and demonstrating [to] individuals how to sh properly [and] appropriately, and what are the best angling methods that are conducive to the longevity of the sh’s life, whether that’s using barbless hooks or practicing catch-and-release,” Starrs said.

“We don’t want people to think that we’re just a tournament-based group or, you know, that we’re shing just for sport,” Reduzzi said. “We like to actually get out on the lake, the college woods, places like that, and we like to clean up. We like doing trash cleanups, things like that.” e organization makes sure to de ne in its mission and actions that conservation and sustainability go hand-in-hand and that every

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measure they take counts.

“I think the key distinction between conservation and sustainability is that conservation is focused on protecting what we have … and then sustainability is the training we do with the future generations with shing in mind,” Reduzzi said. “So you’re using tungsten weights instead of lead because they’re more sustainable and trying to avoid using terminal tackle and other angling methods that use live bait.”

Additionally, Starrs highlighted mental health and how it has been a major issue a ecting college saltwater shed, now freshwater shing. We have y shermen now shing for both on Matoaka,” Reduzzi said. “And it’s really cool to see club members connect with each other and say, ‘Hey, are you going out? Let’s go cat shing together.’ And then that person teaches the other person how to cat sh — cause it’s a whole separate entity.”

Starrs agreed with the significance of members coming in with different skills and experience levels.

“In every interest meeting, we go around and introduce ourselves and talk about our shing

Once people become equipped with the skills to enjoy the activity, they often reap lessons that cannot be taught in a classroom. Member Alexander Ra etto ’25 explained that getting involved in shing and conservation has helped him hone the importance of promoting sustainable practices.

“It is easy to see how much society has impacted aquatic ecosystems as there are a lot of places where sh just aren’t as abundant as they once were,” Ra etto wrote in an email. “Especially in the Chesapeake Bay, it is a lot harder to nd sh. It’s discouraging as a sherman and as someone who appreciates the outdoors.”

Some of the bene ts one gains from being in the club may be unexpected. During a trash cleanup, Ra etto overcame one big obstacle to reach the trash: spiders.

“It was the beginning of the year, and the trees still had their summer foliage, and to get to the trash, we had to take the boats right through the underbrush,” Ra etto wrote. “ is was problematic because the branches were full of spiderwebs and large orb weaver spiders. I am afraid of spiders, so it was quite the experience, and I ended up having to face my fears.” students’ performance across the country, so he thought it was imperative to factor that into the club’s culture.

The other major component of the Bottom Feeders is their long-running relationship with the Keck Lab, the organization that oversees Lake Matoaka. On their outings, club members use ArcGIS software to monitor the water quality and collect data on fish species. Their data has proved to be instrumental in understanding the diversity of specimens in the lake and how the ecosystem functions.

“It’s really restorative to the mind and body to take the time to get out there. You’re not thinking about anything. It’s great that you’re just focused on, you know, either hanging out with your buddies or on the task at hand, which is shing,” Starrs said.

While shing can be a solitary activity, the Bottom Feeders promote collaboration, with its over 100 members’ unique skill sets complementing and enriching the club’s knowledge and culture of enthusiasm.

“We’ve had people who’ve never shed before come out. We’ve had people who’ve only experience,” Starrs said. “And, you know, there’s always one person who’s caught a huge sh, and then there’s somebody who’s never even been on the water before but likes the idea of it.”

Instead, what matters to the members of the club, regardless of experience level, is a willingness to learn and appreciate one another’s time and company.

“When I brought the [executive] o cers together, my idea was that I wanted them to be teachers — that [they] could be approachable and help,” Starrs said. “It didn’t matter that it was their personal gear that they were giving out to help [others] sh but that we were going to help these individuals connect with nature and nd a love for the sport.”

“Today, we have logged over 400 unique specimens, and we’re still nding new stu and reporting that back to [the Keck Lab] for further research, which is really cool because it gives the club an additional purpose,” Starrs said.

Outside the campus, the Bottom Feeders have struck over 30 partnerships with fishing and conservation organizations. In return for discounts on gear, merch and fishing advice, the club spreads the word about the organizations and their work. Toadfish Outfitters, a 501c non-profit that protects oyster reefs in the Chesapeake Bay, was highlighted as a particularly meaningful partnership.

“It really touches on all the aspects of what shing should be — their main idea is, you know, you get stu from shing that’s personally rewarding, but then you’re also giving it back, and that’s what’s important,” Starrs said.