Individual economic impact reports have also been prepared for each of the 50 states. This project was a cooperative effort between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Federal Aid, and the American Sportfishing Association. The support and advice from Sylvia Cabrera, Richard Aiken and David Waddington was instrumental in the timely completion of this project. The project also benefited from discussions with Rob Southwick. Numerous others contributed directly and indirectly to the successful completion of this project.
Errors are the sole responsibility of the authors.
The myriad of ponds, lakes, streams and rivers, throughout the United States, in addition to vast coastline and marine resources, provide a multitude of diverse and rewarding fishing experiences for the nation's recreational anglers. The popularity of sport fishing has grown steadily over the past several decades to the point that 35.2 million American adults now go fishing each year. This report summarizes the economic activity associated with the sport fishing industry. It documents angler expenditures on a wide variety of goods and services. These include expenditures at sporting goods stores, bait shops, specialty fishing stores, hotels and motels, fishing lodges and camps, guide services, retail food stores, and restaurants.