Census Bureau Reports Hunting, Fishing and Watching Wildlife Up 3 Percent from 2006 to 2011

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 90 million U.S. residents age 16 and older participated in some form of wildlife-related recreation in 2011, up 3 percent from five years earlier, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report released today. In total, wildlife recreationists spent $144.7 billion in 2011 on their activities — accounting for about 1 percent of the nation's gross domestic product.

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These findings come from the final national report with results from the 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation released today by the Census Bureau on behalf of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

Conducted since 1955, the survey is one of the oldest continuing and most comprehensive recreation surveys in the U.S., collecting information on the number of anglers, hunters and wildlife watchers, as well as how often they participate in wildlife-related recreation and how much they spend on these activities.  

According to the survey, wildlife recreationists spent $70.4 billion on equipment, $49.5 billion on travel and $24.8 billion on other items, such as licenses and land leasing and ownership.

The number of people who hunted, fished or both rose from 33.9 million in 2006 to 37.4 million in 2011, with 33.1 million people fishing and 13.7 million hunting. The survey showed that 71.8 million people participated in at least one type of wildlife-watching activity, such as observing, feeding and photographing wildlife.

Fishing and Hunting Highlights

Of the 33.1 million people who fished, 27.5 million fished in freshwater and 8.9 million in saltwater. 

The most popular fish sought by freshwater anglers, excluding Great Lakes fishing, were black bass (10.6 million anglers) and panfish (7.3 million anglers). The most popular fish sought by Great Lakes anglers were walleye and sauger (584,000 anglers) and black bass (559,000 anglers).

About 1.9 million people ice-fished and 4.3 million fly-fished.

Anglers spent $41.8 billion on fishing trips, equipment and other items in 2011 — an average of $1,262 per angler.

Of the 13.7 million hunters that took to the field in 2011, 11.6 million hunted big game, 4.5 million hunted small game, 2.6 million hunted migratory birds and 2.2 million hunted other animals.

Ninety-three percent of hunters used a shotgun, rifle or other similar firearm; 33 percent used a bow and arrow; and 22 percent used a muzzleloader.

Nearly all hunters (approximately 94 percent) hunted in the state where they lived, while 14 percent hunted in other states. 

Hunters spent $33.7 billion on hunting trips, equipment and other items in 2011 — an average of $2,465 per hunter.

Wildlife Watching Highlights

About 71.8 million U.S. residents observed, fed and/or photographed birds and other wildlife in 2011. Almost 68.6 million people watched wildlife around their homes, and 22.5 million people took trips of at least one mile from home to primarily watch wildlife.

Of the 46.7 million people who observed wild birds, 88 percent did so around their homes and 38 percent on trips of a mile or more from home.

People spent $54.9 billion on their wildlife-watching trips, equipment and other items in 2011 — an average of $981 per spender.

State reports with detailed information on participation and expenditures will be released on a flow basis beginning in January 2013.

During the initial data collection phase, the Census Bureau interviewed approximately 50,000 households nationwide to determine who in the household had fished, hunted or watched wildlife in 2010 or 2011, and planned to do so again. In most cases, one adult household member provided information for all members.                                           

In the second phase, a sample of individuals identified as likely anglers, hunters and wildlife watchers were interviewed; each individual had to be at least 16 years old and provided information pertaining only to his or her activities and expenditures.

All comparisons made in this news release are tested at the 0.10 significance level.

Robert Bernstein                 
Public Information Office
301-763-3030
e-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau