U.S. Fishing Facts

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A look at the numbers

Participation
Popularity
Women and Minorities
Why People Fish
What People Fish For and Where They Fish
U.S. Anglers by Age Group
Where Anglers Live
Economic Impact of Fishing
Tax Revenue and Conservation
Sources

Participation:

• 48.8 million Americans 7 and older fish. ² (An estimated 55 million fish including all age groups)
   
• More than 1 out of every 6 U.S. residents 16 and older fish. 1
   
• 27 percent of U.S. males fish, and 9 percent of U.S. females fish. ¹
   
• Excluding those who fished the Great Lakes, freshwater anglers account for 82 percent of all anglers. ¹
   
• Anglers spend an average of 18 days fishing and take an average of 14 fishing trips annually. 1
   
• Anglers 16 and older took 420 million freshwater fishing trips in 1996 totaling 515 million days. Including saltwater anglers, 507 million fishing trips totaling 626 million days were taken. ¹
   
• From 1991 to 1996, freshwater fishing days rose 13 percent. ⁶
   
• The average number of freshwater fishing days per angler increased from 14.3 in 1991 to 16.7 in 1996. ⁶
   
• Between 1980 and 1995, the number of Americans who fished increased 16 percent. ⁷
   
• Between 1995 and 2000, the number of Americans who fished increased 11.4 percent. ²
   
• Residents of the South provided the biggest increase in fishing (21 percent) in the United States between 1980 and 1995. ⁷
   
• The number of males fishing increased 14 percent from 1980 to 1995. ⁷
  

Popularity:

• Fishing climbed one place in 2000 and now ranks as the 4th most popular participation sport in the nation. It ranks ahead of bicycling, bowling, basketball, golf, jogging, baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, tennis, football and skiing. Only walking, swimming and camping are more popular. ²
   
• Among the five most popular sports and recreation activities, fishing showed the strongest growth from 1999 to 2000. Fishing participation rose 4.5 percent compared to Swimming (2.3 percent) and Walking (.6 percent). Camping and Exercising with equipment declined 2.3 percent and 4.4 percent respectively. ²
   
• More Americans fish than play golf and tennis combined. ²
   
• More Americans fish than play soccer and basketball. ²
   
• The number of youths ages 12 to 17 who fish increased 10.2 percent since 1990 to 4.8 million. During the same period, the number of youths ages 12 to 17 who play baseball decreased 14 percent to 3.9 million. Basketball, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball participation declined between 4 and 56 percent. ²
   
• Fishing ranks as the 2nd most popular water-related outdoor sport in the United States. Swimming ranks 1st. ²
   
• Freshwater fishing ranks as one of the top-five participation sports in 11 states. Fishing in general (both freshwater and saltwater) ranks as one of the top-five participation sports in 20 states. ²
   
• Freshwater fishing is the No. 1 participation sport in Kentucky, Louisiana and South Carolina. ²
   
• South Carolina and South Dakota residents are more than twice as likely to participate in freshwater fishing compared to the national average. ²
   
• Idaho residents are more than four times as likely to participate in freshwater fishing compared to the national average. ²
  

Women and Minorities:

• 14.3 million women 7 and older fish. That's more than the number who participate in jogging, basketball, volleyball, softball, golf or tennis. ²
   
• Freshwater fishing is the 8th most popular participation sport among women ²
   
• Among the 10 most popular women's sports and recreation activities, fishing showed the strongest growth from 1999 to 2000. Fishing participation rose 10.8 percent compared to Bicycle Riding (6.2 percent) and Billiards (5.3 percent). ²
   
• 32.4 percent of all anglers are female ² (representing 9 percent of the U.S. female population.) ⁵
   
• 5 percent of all anglers are African-American (representing 10 percent of the black population.) ⁵
   
• 3.4 percent of all anglers are Hispanic (representing 7 percent of the Hispanic population.) ⁵
   
• The number of women fishing increased 19 percent from 1980 to 1995 compared to 14 percent for males. ⁷
   
• The region that experienced the largest increase in the number of females fishing was the Northeast. ⁷
   
• Women spend on average $246 per year for trip-related fishing expenses and $70 per year on fishing equipment for a total of $3 billion. ⁵
   
• Hispanics fish at lower rates than African-Americans and women, but they spend, on average, more money - $434 per angler for trips and $154 for equipment. Hispanics spent a total of $696 million per year on fishing trips and equipment. ⁵
   
• Fishing equipment expenditures among African-American anglers increased 43 percent between 1991 and 1996. ⁵
   
• African-American anglers spend on average $324 per year for trip-related fishing expenses and $128 per year on fishing equipment for a total of $814 million. ⁵
   
• African-American anglers spend more days fishing (22 vs. 18) and take more trips (18 vs. 14), on average, than all anglers. ⁵
   
• 64 percent of African-American anglers live in the South compared to 39 percent of all anglers. ⁵
   
• 43 percent of female anglers live in the South. ⁵
   
• 16 percent of African-American anglers live in the Midwest. ⁵
   
• 26 percent of female anglers live in the Midwest. ⁵
   
• 43 percent of Hispanic anglers live in the South. ⁵
   
• 38 percent of Hispanic anglers live in the West compared to 20 percent of all anglers. ⁵
   
• The number of days fished by African-American anglers increased 72 percent between 1991 and 1996 compared to 22 percent for all anglers. ⁵
   
• The number of days fished by female anglers increased 15 percent between 1991 and 1996. ⁵
   
• The number of days fished by Hispanic anglers remained constant between 1991 and 1996, but fishing trip expenditures increased 50 percent during the same period. ⁵
   
• 2 million persons 16 and older with disabilities took 43.7 million fishing trips in 1996, fishing for 53 million days. ¹
  

Why People Fish:

• 33 percent of anglers fish to relax. ³
   
• 25 percent of anglers fish as a way of spending time with family and friends. ³
   
• 65 percent of non-anglers and 88 percent of anglers say that being asked by a child would make them want to go fishing or make them want to fish more often. ³
  

What People Fish For and Where They Fish:

• Bass fishing the most popular type of fishing in the United States. ⁶
   
• 44 percent of all freshwater anglers in the United States fish for black bass. ⁶
   
• 31 percent of freshwater anglers fish for trout ⁶
   
• 28 percent of freshwater anglers fish for pan fish ⁶
   
• 26 percent of freshwater anglers fish for catfish ⁶
   
• Bass are sought on 39 percent of all freshwater fishing days. ⁶
   
• 92 percent of freshwater anglers fish in their state of residence. ¹
   
• 21 percent of freshwater anglers fish out-of-state. ¹
   
• 86 percent of freshwater anglers fish in flat water, including ponds, lakes and reservoirs. ¹
   
• 46 percent of freshwater anglers fish rivers and streams. ¹
  

U.S. Anglers by Age Group:

• 17 percent of 16-to 17-year-olds fish, comprising 4 percent of all anglers. ⁶
   
• 14 percent of 18-to 24-year-olds fish, comprising 12 percent of all anglers. ⁶
   
• 17 percent of 25-to 34-year-olds fish, comprising 24 percent of all anglers. ⁶
   
• 18 percent of 35-to 44-year-olds fish, comprising 26 percent of all anglers. ⁶
   
• 15 percent of 45-to 54-year-olds fish, comprising 17 percent of all anglers. ⁶
   
• 12 percent of 55-to 64-year-olds fish, comprising 9 percent of all anglers. ⁶
   
• 7 percent of 65+ year-olds fish, comprising 8 percent of all anglers. ⁶
   
• Fishing among 35- to 44-year-olds increased 60 percent between 1980 and 1995. It was the largest increase of any group ⁷
  

Where Anglers Live:

• 38 percent of all anglers live in urban areas with populations of 1 million or more. ¹
   
• 20 percent of all anglers live in areas with populations of 250,000 to 999,999. ¹
   
• Urban areas contributed 18 percent more anglers in 1995 compared to 1980. ⁷
   
• Rural areas contributed 13 percent more anglers in 1995 compared to 1980. ⁷
   
• The South's 30 percent increase in the number of anglers from urban areas between 1980 and 1995 was the largest of any region. ⁷
   
• 39 percent of all anglers live in the South. ⁵
   
• 27 percent of all anglers live in the Midwest. ⁵
   
• 20 percent of all anglers live in the West. ⁵
   
• 15 percent of all anglers live in the Northeast. ⁵
  

Economic Impact of Fishing:

• Anglers spent $38.4 billion in 1996 to pursue their sport. They spent $15.4 billion for fishing trips, $19.2 billion for equipment, and $3.8 billion for licenses, stamps tags, land leasing and ownership, membership dues and contributions, and magazines. ¹ If hypothetically ranked as a corporation, this revenue figure would put sport fishing 33rd on the 2001 Fortune 500 list of America's largest companies. It would rank just behind WorldCom and just above Motorola.
   
• Total economic output generated by freshwater fishing in 1996 exceeded $76.9 billion, including the impact on retailers, suppliers of goods and services to retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers, plus the indirect and induced impacts resulting from these activities. Including saltwater fishing, economic output reached $108.5 billion. ⁴
   
• The average angler incurs $1,072 in fishing-related expenses. ¹
   
• Freshwater fishing expenditures in 1996 generated more than $19.9 billion in wages. Including saltwater fishing, $28.3 billion in wages were generated (up 28 percent since 1991), which is roughly equivalent to half of the nation's entire military payroll. ⁴
   
• 854,512 full-time jobs exist due to freshwater fishing. Including saltwater fishing, the total exceeds 1.2 million (up 31 percent since 1991), or slightly more than 1 percent of the nation's entire civilian labor force. ⁴
   
• $2.03 billion was spent on fishing tackle in 2000. ²
   
• Fishing tackle ranks 4th in terms of consumer expenditures for non-team sports equipment. Golf equipment ranks first followed by exercise equipment and firearms for hunting. ²
   
• California and Florida anglers both spend more than $3 billion annually on fishing and related equipment. ⁴
   
• Angler expenditures exceed $1 billion in Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin. ⁴
   
• While the number of people fishing in the U.S. from 1991 to 1996 remained roughly the same, the number of fishing days increased 22 percent from 511 million in 1991 to 626 million in 1996, and fishing expenditures increased 37 percent. ¹
   
• Purchases of special equipment such as boats, 4 x 4 vehicles and campers increased 123 percent between 1991 and 1996. ¹
   
• Of $830 million spent on used sporting goods equipment in 1999, $500 million was spent on outdoors sports equipment (camping, fishing, and the shooting sports). ²
  

Tax Revenue and Conservation:

• Sport fishing generated more than $1.9 billion in state sales taxes in 1996 - up 54 percent from 1991. ⁴
   
• In 1996, sport fishing generated more than $450.5 million in state income tax - up 73 percent from 1991. ⁴
   
• Sport fishing generated more than $3 billion in federal income tax in 1996 (up 26 percent from 1991), which equates to nearly a third of the entire federal budget for agriculture. ⁴
   
• In 1996, anglers contributed more than $644 million to conservation and management of the nation's fisheries. Contributions came from license fees and federal excise taxes on the sale of fishing equipment and gasoline used in motorboats. Excise taxes benefit the Sport Fish Restoration Trust Fund. ⁴
   
• In 1999, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service distributed $212.4 million to states under the Sport Fish Restoration Program to improve fish habitat. Funding for the Restoration Program comes from a 10 percent excise tax on fishing equipment, a 3 percent tax on electric trolling motors and sonars, taxes on motorboat and small engine fuels and import duties on fishing tackle and pleasure boats. The funds pay up to 75 percent of the cost of each improvement project while states contribute at least 25 percent of the cost. ¹
  

Sources:

1. U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. 1996 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-associated Recreation. (Note: Next report due fall of 2002).
2. National Sporting Goods Association. Sports Participation in 2000.
3. Future of Fishing project conducted by Responsive Management of Harrisonburg, Va.
4. American Sportfishing Association. The 1996 Economic Impact of Sport Fishing in the United States.
5. Participation and Expenditure Patterns of African-American, Hispanic, and Women Hunters and Anglers. Addendum to the 1996 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation.
6. Black Bass Fishing in the U.S. Addendum to the 1996 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation.
7. 1980-1995 Participation in Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife Watching. National and Regional Demographic Trends.