A 19-page report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows an increase since the 2006 survey in hunting and fishing activities.

The 2011 National Survey's first preliminary report, the National Overview, will be followed by a second preliminary report, the State Overview, expected to be released early this month.

The 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation is the twelfth in a series of surveys that have been conducted every five years since 1955. Results are based on data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Census Bureau contacted 48,627 households for interviews. 

In 2011 90.1 million Americans, 38 percent of the U.S. population 16 years old and older, enjoyed some form of fishing, hunting or wildlife-associated recreation.

Expenditures by hunters, anglers and wildlife-recreationists were $145.0 billion. This equates to 1% of gross domestic product; meaning one out of every one hundred dollars of all goods and services produced in the U.S. is due to wildlife-related recreation. 

Almost 37.4 million Americans participated in fishing, hunting or both sports in 2011. These sportsmen and women spent $43.2 billion on equipment, $32.2 billion on trips, and $14.6 billion on licenses and fees, membership dues and contributions, land leasing and ownership, and plantings for hunting. On average, each sportsperson spent $2,407 in 2011.

 

Fishing

Fishing attracted 33.1 million individuals 16 years old and older in 2011. These anglers spent an average of 17 days fishing. Freshwater, excluding Great Lakes, fishing was the most popular type of fishing with 27.1 million anglers devoting 443 million days to the sport. Great Lakes and saltwater fishing were also popular with 1.7 million and 8.9 million anglers, respectively.

Anglers spent $41.8 billion on trips, equipment, licenses, and other items to support their fishing activities in 2011. The average expenditure per angler was $1,261.

Comparing results from the 2011 FHWAR Survey with those of the 2006 Survey reveals the number of anglers increased 11 percent. The biggest increase was by Great Lakes anglers, a 17 percent increase in participation. The increases for saltwater and non-Great Lakes freshwater angling participation were 15 percent and 8 percent, respectively. While participation in fishing increased from 2006 to 2011, total fishing-related expenditures declined 11 percent. Expenditures for fishing equipment such as rods, reels, poles, and tackle did not decline, however. 

Local Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Supervisor Kevin Peterson said the survey appears to show a reverse in the trend.

“This is encouraging to me because in the DNR, we spent a lot of time and effort and money in the past several years trying recruit and retain anglers,” said Peterson Thursday. “This report indicates some of those efforts are paying off, perhaps.”

Peterson said anglers support the DNR’s programs with over 90 percent of the DNR’s operating budget coming directly from fishing license dollars. “So when (the number of licenses purchased are) stable, it provides a stable budget for us and we can plan on stable budgets in the future.”

“On the other side,” Peterson said, “anglers are the ones that roll up their sleeves and help out with projects to improve the fisheries, similar to the Rat Root River project; they show up at the state Capitol and testify on behalf of protecting fishing resources when needed; they are out there improving water quality and habitat to ensure the fisheries remain healthy.”

Peterson said anglers are key to the whole system. “Without a strong angler base to provide both financial and moral and other types of support for our programs, we simply couldn’t function the way we are.”

 

Hunting

In 2011 13.7 million people, 6 percent of the U.S. population 16 years old and older, went hunting. Hunters in the U.S. spent an average of 21 days pursuing wild game. 

Hunters spent $34.0 billion on trips, equipment, licenses, and other items to support their hunting activities in 2011. The average expenditure per hunter was $2,484. Total hunting-related spending increased between 2006 and 2011. There was a 30 percent increase over the five-year period. 

Overall hunting participation increased 9 percent from 2006 to 2011. The numbers of big game hunters rose 8 percent, migratory bird hunters increased 13 percent, and hunters seeking other animals increased by 92 percent.

Local DNR Wildlife Manger Larry Peterson said he looked forward to seeing the state survey for Minnesota. 

“In general, we’ve had good, strong game populations that would foster that interest in participation in hunting,” he said. “We had, over the past decade, an increase in the state in hunter opportunity, particularly with deer. That could be a reason for the increase.”

However, he said it’s hard to say where those increases are when the survey includes the entire nation.