Outdoor recreation remains vibrant in Florida with
recreational fishing, hunting and wildlife-viewing alone generating
an economic impact of $10.1 billion annually (See About-Economics). There is no
doubt that the emotional, societal and aesthetic values of a
quality environment, healthy fish and wildlife populations, and
safe and sustainable recreation exceed our ability to quantify them
in dollars, but nonetheless the dollar figures are impressive.
Here is a break down and some links to additional
information:
In 2006, the US Census Bureau did a "National Survey of
Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Related Recreation 
" to determine the amount of participation and
economic impact of these outdoor activities nationwide. The
study was conducted under a grant from the US Fish and Wildlife
Service and is the benchmark for this type economic analysis and
allows unbiased state
comparisons . Southwick
Associates has provided a summary of the top
fishing states in various categories
that again justify Florida's status as the Fishing Capital of the
World.
Based on the 2006 National Survey, Florida again
ranks number one in In-State Anglers (2.8 million vs. #2 Texas with
2.5 million), Angler Expenditures in State ($4.4 billion vs. #2
Texas with $4.3 billion), Angler supported jobs (75,068 vs. #2
Texas with 59,938), State and local taxes generated by sportfishing
($440 million vs. #2 Texas with $392 million). Of the 2.8
million anglers fishing in Florida, 1.9 million were resident and
0.9 million were non-resident (tourists). Anglers averaged
17.2 days per year fishing in Florida, for a total of 47.5 million
days of quality outdoor recreation. Of those, 24.4 million
days were spent in fresh water by 1.4 million anglers and, 23.1
million days were spent in saltwater by 2.0 million anglers.
Non-Resident anglers spent over $1 billion in
direct retail sales in Florida--not mentioning the other dollars
they spent on tourism while in Florida. The next highest
state for non-resident angler spending was Wisconsin with less than
$0.6 billion No wonder Florida is the "Fishing Capital of the
World." A further breakdown based on the detailed
economic analysis by Southwick and Associates includes the
multiplier or ripple effect on the community caused by these sales
and visitors.
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Saltwater Fishing - $5.1 billion, 51,588 jobs
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Freshwater Fishing - $2.4 billion, 23,480 jobs
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Total Fishing - $6.1 billion (some anglers don't
specify fresh or salt so the total is less than the sum of
freshwater and saltwater), 52,945 jobs
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Generated $358 million in Federal tax revenues
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Generated $316 million in state and local tax
revenues
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