Sprawl represents the rural acres lost as urban areas spread outward over time.
First, and most obvious, sprawl can destroy aquatic habitat and restrict the access to waters where people can fish. Second, urban growth concentrates more people into urbanized environments and refocuses their interests away from traditional rural activities like fishing and hunting. In other words, sportfishing loses not only habitat and access, it also loses advocates and participants. A March 2001 U.S. Bureau of Census publication titled Weighing Sprawl Factors in Large U.S. Cities reports on sprawl in the largest 100 urbanized areas from 1970 to 1990. But, the figures for the 20 years included in the report still paint a picture of concern about not only population growth in America, but also about the amount of landscape being consumed as population grows and the U.S. culture changes.