National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife ... - All About Birds

Expenditures for Wildlife-Related Recreation(Total expenditures: $144.7 billion)Fishing29%$41.8 billionHunting23%$33.7 billionUnspecified10%$14.3 billionWildlife watching38%$54.9 billionEquipment49%$70.4 billionOther17%$24.8 billionTrip-related34%$49.5 billionExpenditures by Sportspersons(Total expenditures: $89.8 billion)Expenditures by Wildlife-Watching Participants(Total expenditures: $54.9 billion)Equipment48%$43.2 billionOther16%$14.3 billionEquipment49%$27.2 billionOther19%$10.5 billionTrip-related36%$32.2 billionTrip-related31%$17.3 billionFishing and HuntingIn 2011, 37.4 million U.S. residents 16years old and older went fishing and/orhunting. This includes 33.1 million whofished and 13.7 million who hunted—9.4 million both fished and hunted.In 2011, expenditures by sportspersonstotaled $89.8 billion. Trip-relatedexpenditures, including those for food,lodging, and transportation, were $32.2billion—36 percent of all fishing andhunting expenditures. Total equipmentexpenditures amounted to $43.2 billion,48 percent of the total. Other expenditures—magazines,membership dues,contributions, land leasing and ownership,and licenses, stamps, tags, andpermits—accounted for $14.3 billion,or 16 percent of all sportspersons’expenditures.Wildlife-Watching RecreationObserving, feeding, or photographingwildlife was enjoyed by 71.8 millionpeople 16 years old and older in 2011.Of this group, 22.5 million people tooktrips away from home for the purposeof enjoying wildlife, while 68.6 millionstayed within a mile of home to participatein wildlife-watching activities.In 2011, wildlife watchers spent $54.9billion. Trip-related expenses, includingfood, lodging, and transportation,totaled $17.3 billion, 31 percent of allexpenditures. A total of $27.2 billionwas spent on equipment, 49 percentof all wildlife-watching expenses. Theremaining $10.5 billion, 19 percentof the total, was spent on magazines,membership dues and contributionsmade to conservation or wildliferelatedorganizations, land leasing andowning, and plantings.2006 and 2011 ComparisonA five-year comparison of estimatesfrom 2006 to 2011 shows a 3 percentincrease in the total number of people,16 years of age and older, participatingin wildlife recreation activities inthe United States. The increase wasprimarily among those who fished andhunted.Sportspersons rose from 33.9 millionin 2006 to 37.4 million in 2011, andexpenditures rose from $85.5 billion (in2011 dollars) in 2006 to $89.8 billionin 2011.In 2011, 33.1 million fished and 13.7million hunted compared with 30.0million who fished and 12.5 millionwho hunted in 2006. Although overallexpenditures on fishing declined,expenditures for fishing equipment andtrips were stable in 2011 comparedto 2006. Expenditures for huntingU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Census Bureau 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation 5