Numbers are up, but spending decreases
More Texans and other Americans fished and hunted this past year than did six years ago, reversing what had been a slight but persistent long- term decline in participation in both activities over the past two decades, according to data from a federal survey.
But the lingering effects of the 2008- 09 economic meltdown combined with this past year’s recordsetting drought appear to have had Texas hunters and anglers spending less— much less, in the case of Texas anglers— to pursue their recreation than they did in 2006.
In 2011, 1.08 million Texans hunted, up 80,000 from the 1 million Texans who went afield in 2006, according to data from preliminary findings of the 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife- Associated Recreation.
The 2011 survey, 12th in a series of national surveys on hunting and fishing participation conducted every five years since themid- 1950s and coordinated by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, indicated the number of Texan anglers increased slightly between 2006 and 2011, rising to 2.35 million from 2.34 million.
Nationally, the number of anglers jumped 11 percent over that five- year period, to 33.1 million, while hunter numbers rose 9 percent, to 13.7 million. It was the first time in 20 years the number of hunters and anglers, nationally, has not slipped.
The combined number of hunters/ anglers in the country, according to the 1991 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife- Associated Recreation, was estimated at nearly 50 million— 14 million hunters, 35.5 million anglers.
That number had dropped to an estimated 42.51million ( 12.51million hunters, 30 million anglers) in the 2006 survey.
Long- term benefits
The survey, a cooperative effort between the federal Fish and Wildlife Service and U. S. Census Bureau in partnership with state wildlife and fisheries agencies and organizations, is designed to provide long- term trend information on outdoorsrelated recreation and quantify the economic impact of those activities.
Data for the 2011 survey was collected by Census Bureau staff interviewing almost 50,000 households across the country during April 2011, then followup, in- depth interviews with more than 16,000 Americans who identified themselves as active or potential hunters or anglers. The survey includes only those 16 years old or older.
Texas is home to the most hunters and the second- largest number of anglers among the states, according to the survey.
When non- residents who hunt in Texas are included in the total, the state saw 1.147million hunters afield during 2011. Wisconsin ( 895,000 hunters), New York ( 823,000), Pennsylvania ( 775,000) andMissouri ( 576,000) rounded out the top five hunting states.
Texans spent 20.3million days hunting in 2011, more than any other state and almost 2 million more days afield than secondplace New York.
Each of Texas’ millionplus hunters averaged spending about 20 days hunting in 2011, just shy of the national average of 21 days. Kentucky hunters were the most active, spending an average of 35 days a year in the field, the survey indicated.
Florida topped all states in the number of anglers, with about 3.1 million fishers. Texas had the second- largest fishing population with 2.25 million anglers. New York ( 1.88million), Michigan ( 1.74 million) and California ( 1.67 million) completed the top five.
Texas anglers spent an estimated 30.6 million days fishing in 2011, placing second nationwide behind Florida anglers’ staggering 57.6 million days on the water.
Individual Texas anglers reported spending approximately 14 days fishing during the year, slightly fewer than the national average of 17 days per angler. Arkansas anglers were the big fish in that pond, averaging fishing 28 days a year.
Texas third in spending
The 2011 survey indicated hunters nationwide spent about $ 8.5 billion more on their recreation than five years earlier. The federal survey indicated the nation’s 13.7 million hunters pumped $ 31.45 billion into the economy over the year covered by the survey, up from the $ 22.9 billion estimated by the 2006 survey.
The 2011 survey estimates Texas hunters spent $ 1.84 billion that year, slightly less than the $ 2.22 billion estimate in the 2006 survey. That placed Texas third in hunting- related expenditures by residents, behind Wisconsin ($ 2.54 billion) andMichigan ($ 2.24 billion).
In previous surveys, Texas has led the nation in hunting- related expenditures; the state ranked first in the category in the 2006 survey, with Pennsylvania a distant second with $ 1.6 billion in hunting expenditures.
Texas’ third- place showing in hunting expenditures in 2011 almost certainly is tied, at least in part, to the drought that began in earnest in late 2010 and continued through most of 2011. The drought’s negative influence on game populations, wildlife habitat and hunter enthusiasm, as well as lingering economic uncertainty from the 2008 economic crisis, seem likely causes of the drop in hunting- related spending.
The 2011 drought, through the shriveled rivers and reservoirs and resulting drop in fishing opportunity and interest it created, also seems the logical culprit in the plummet Texas’ anglers reported in fishing- related expenditures this past year.
Florida a popular lure
In the 2006 survey, Texas was second behind Florida in the amount of money anglers reported annually spending on equipment, lodging, food, transportation and other fishing- related purchases — Florida anglers spent $ 4.3 billion while Texans spent 3.23 billion.
In the 2011 survey, Texas anglers reported spending $ 1.54 billion on fishing- related purchases, less than half what they had just five years earlier and dropping the state to sixth in fishing- related expenditures.
Still, Texas’ strong and growing community of anglers and hunters in 2011 generated almost $ 3.4 billion in direct spending related to their recreation, or about 2 percent of the state’s estimated $ 1.33 trillion gross domestic product.
Not bad for a “down” year.