alyeska338
08-14-2007, 04:31 PM
According to a new survey by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Hunting, fishing are declining despite Alaska's angling rank
FEDERAL SURVEY: Trend shows numbers falling nationally in past 5 years.
ERIKA BOLSTAD
ebolstad@adn.com
Published: August 14, 2007
Last Modified: August 14, 2007 at 09:07 AM
WASHINGTON -- Nearly a third of Alaskans age 16 and over went fishing last year, tying the state with Minnesota for the highest percentage of residents who consider themselves recreational anglers.
But the number of people hunting and fishing in Alaska and across the United States has declined overall, according to a survey released last week by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Across the U.S., the number of people fishing has dropped 12 percent, and the number of people hunting has decreased 4 percent since 2001.
There's been an especially steep decline in Alaska compared with the agency's 2001 survey, said Jerry Leonard, a Fish and Wildlife economist who crunched the numbers for the report. Recreational fishing is down 26 percent in Alaska, Leonard said, and hunting is down 24 percent in the state. The survey estimated that about 421,000 people fished in Alaska in 2001; that number dropped to 310,000 last year.
Yet even as the number of people hunting and fishing has slid, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife survey found that the number of people who are actively engaged in what they term "wildlife viewing" has risen. Those activities include just about any outdoor pursuit, ranging from bird-watching to whitewater rafting. Nationwide, the numbers jumped 8 percent from five years ago, the study found. In Alaska, it went up 22 percent.
Full Story at http://www.adn.com/outdoors/hunting/story/9219177p-9135328c.html
It does go on to say, however:
ALASKA'S NUMBERS
Alaska's on-the-ground numbers show a slightly different picture from the federal survey, said Doug Vincent-Lang, a special projects coordinator for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. They measure the "days fished," which saw a decline from 2005 to 2006, but it was not a dramatic drop, he said. The state also saw the number of fishing licenses slide from 2005 to 2006 after it added a surcharge to pay for a fish hatchery. The state generally sells between 400,000 to 500,000 licenses, and while there have been minor fluctuations, officials still think their numbers show an increase over time, Vincent-Lang said.
Still, it's true that a smaller portion of the state's population is fishing. Ten years ago, almost half of Alaskans sought a fishing license, he said.
"Now, we're down to about 40 percent," he said. "We're selling more numbers, it's just not keeping pace with the population growth."
So, in Alaska, while there are more hunters and fisherman than ever before, we just aren't increasing in number at the same pace that the population is increasing.
I suspect that trend is similar nationwide. I doubt the raw number of hunters and fisherman are actually down, but as a percentage of the total population it is certainly looking that way.
Top Five States
Top U.S. spending on outdoor activities (2001-2006)
FISHING
1. Texas $3.2 billion
2. Florida $4.6 billion
3. California $2.4 billion
4. Michigan $1.6 billion
5. Pennsylvania $1.3 billion
HUNTING
1. Texas $2.3 billion
2. Florida $365 million
3. California $732 million
4. Michigan $919 million
5. Pennsylvania 1.45 billion
WILDLIFE VIEWING
Texas: $2.9 billion
Florida $2.99 billion
California $4.6 billion
Michigan $1.55 billion
Pennsylvania $1.3 billion
TOTAL
Texas $8.4 billion
Florida $7.9 billion
California $7.7 billion
Michigan $4.1 billion
Pennsylvania $3.96 billion
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (note: numbers are subject to rounding)
Hunting, fishing are declining despite Alaska's angling rank
FEDERAL SURVEY: Trend shows numbers falling nationally in past 5 years.
ERIKA BOLSTAD
ebolstad@adn.com
Published: August 14, 2007
Last Modified: August 14, 2007 at 09:07 AM
WASHINGTON -- Nearly a third of Alaskans age 16 and over went fishing last year, tying the state with Minnesota for the highest percentage of residents who consider themselves recreational anglers.
But the number of people hunting and fishing in Alaska and across the United States has declined overall, according to a survey released last week by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Across the U.S., the number of people fishing has dropped 12 percent, and the number of people hunting has decreased 4 percent since 2001.
There's been an especially steep decline in Alaska compared with the agency's 2001 survey, said Jerry Leonard, a Fish and Wildlife economist who crunched the numbers for the report. Recreational fishing is down 26 percent in Alaska, Leonard said, and hunting is down 24 percent in the state. The survey estimated that about 421,000 people fished in Alaska in 2001; that number dropped to 310,000 last year.
Yet even as the number of people hunting and fishing has slid, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife survey found that the number of people who are actively engaged in what they term "wildlife viewing" has risen. Those activities include just about any outdoor pursuit, ranging from bird-watching to whitewater rafting. Nationwide, the numbers jumped 8 percent from five years ago, the study found. In Alaska, it went up 22 percent.
Full Story at http://www.adn.com/outdoors/hunting/story/9219177p-9135328c.html
It does go on to say, however:
ALASKA'S NUMBERS
Alaska's on-the-ground numbers show a slightly different picture from the federal survey, said Doug Vincent-Lang, a special projects coordinator for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. They measure the "days fished," which saw a decline from 2005 to 2006, but it was not a dramatic drop, he said. The state also saw the number of fishing licenses slide from 2005 to 2006 after it added a surcharge to pay for a fish hatchery. The state generally sells between 400,000 to 500,000 licenses, and while there have been minor fluctuations, officials still think their numbers show an increase over time, Vincent-Lang said.
Still, it's true that a smaller portion of the state's population is fishing. Ten years ago, almost half of Alaskans sought a fishing license, he said.
"Now, we're down to about 40 percent," he said. "We're selling more numbers, it's just not keeping pace with the population growth."
So, in Alaska, while there are more hunters and fisherman than ever before, we just aren't increasing in number at the same pace that the population is increasing.
I suspect that trend is similar nationwide. I doubt the raw number of hunters and fisherman are actually down, but as a percentage of the total population it is certainly looking that way.
Top Five States
Top U.S. spending on outdoor activities (2001-2006)
FISHING
1. Texas $3.2 billion
2. Florida $4.6 billion
3. California $2.4 billion
4. Michigan $1.6 billion
5. Pennsylvania $1.3 billion
HUNTING
1. Texas $2.3 billion
2. Florida $365 million
3. California $732 million
4. Michigan $919 million
5. Pennsylvania 1.45 billion
WILDLIFE VIEWING
Texas: $2.9 billion
Florida $2.99 billion
California $4.6 billion
Michigan $1.55 billion
Pennsylvania $1.3 billion
TOTAL
Texas $8.4 billion
Florida $7.9 billion
California $7.7 billion
Michigan $4.1 billion
Pennsylvania $3.96 billion
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (note: numbers are subject to rounding)