Not Gone Fishing

In 2006, 13 percent of the U.S. population still took the rod and reel out for a cast. Nearly 30 million people—five million less than 2001-went fishing, spending an average of 17 days angling during the year. They dropped about $40 billion on licenses, equipment and trips to support the activity.

Nicholas Throckmorton, a spokesperson for the Fish and Wildlife Service, admits that the hunting and fishing trends are “disturbing.” But he argues that the data is secondary to the report’s real news, that “the value of wildlife remains high to millions of Americans, who know that outdoor recreation rejuvenates our spirit and gets us away from the wired, modern world.”
Sportsmen can take heart in the fact that despite the declining numbers, nearly 34 million people still found time to fish and hunt in 2006, and spent a combined $75.4 billion doing it. That’s important, because federal taxes on guns and sporting equipment are spent on conservation efforts and wildlife refuges; without those places, many of the 71 million “watchers” identified in the survey would be left staring at a starling on a bird feeder.
The real lesson of the report is that as a nation we’re gradually finding new, less violent ways to interact with nature. If this keeps up it won’t be long before Elmer Fudd goes after Bugs Bunny with a pair of binoculars.

© 2007