There is a new influencer on social media – the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF).

That’s right. The NMDGF is making its presence known on social media, attracting millions of views for its posts on TikTok.

The department began posting on the social media platform in July 2020.

“It was during the heart of the pandemic,” Tristanna Brickford, communications director for the department, said to told KRQE.  “It was a way for us to reach our customers with more positive information about fish and wildlife in the state of New Mexico.”

Game and Fish initially started sharing content about New Mexico wildlife and recreation, including equipment and tips for anything from using off-road vehicles in the state to fishing, according to KRQE. 

Two videos about a project in Lake Carlsbad caught viewers' attention. 

“They have built structures using manmade and natural objects to help increase fish habitat in the lake and make it a better place for fish,” Brickford said to KRQE. “Those videos posted and went viral basically overnight. It was really exciting to see how many people were excited about these fish projects and making it a better place to live in Lake Carlsbad.”

One of those videos has approximately 19 million views, and the other has more than three million, according to KRQE. 

“You never know what people are going to be interested in on any of the social media platforms, and TikTok is no different,” Brickford said.

The NMDGF hopes to continue building its social media presence and reach people from all over the world. “Here in New Mexico Game and Fish, we have a mission to conserve wildlife for future generations in New Mexico,” Brickford said to KRQE. “And the more people that are interested and passionate about our wildlife, the better off we’re going to be in the end.”