Just finished reading the January 2013 American Sportfishing Association’s report, Sport Fishing in America. To see a .pdf copy, click here.
The 12-page report is filled with statistics, but here are a few worth sharing:
- There are about 60 million of us that enjoy some type of angling, although only 46 million will fish in any given year. That’s still more than golf and tennis combined
- We spend about $48 billion each year on fishing-related items and activities
- About $22 billion of this is on travel, including almost $5 billion on food (we do like to eat!)
- $6 billion is spent on small ticket items such as rods, reels, tackle boxes, lines, bait, lures and flies (I hesitate to describe my fly rod and reel purchases as small ticket)
- Over $13 billion is used for large-ticket items such as boats, canoes, cabin and RVs
- Fishing-related purchases and activities generate $15 billion in federal, state and local taxes
- Based on total angling expenditures, Florida, New York and Michigan rank #1, #2 and #3 respectively
- When it comes to number of anglers, the ranking changes to Florida, Texas and New York
- If fishing were a company, the amount spent by anglers to support fishing-related retail sales would rank number 51 on the Fortune 500
- The majority of anglers are freshwater fishermen
- Our sport provides employment for over 800,000 people
While you may not see the importance to the economy when you purchase some tippet or $20 worth of flies or bait, there are millions of us doing the same, resulting in a fairly substantial financial impact. So when you get the chance, go out and support our economy by fishing. Enjoy!
