Recreational Fishing as Tourism

Abstract

In addition to being an outdoor recreation activity for residents in each state, fishing can also be considered a form of tourism when anglers cross state lines to go fishing. Efforts are underway in each state to promote tourism, including recreational fishing, in the name of economic development. These efforts are usually independent from fishery management. Data from the “1996 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation” were analyzed to indicate the extent that various states attract anglers to their states as well as supply anglers to others. The top five destination states in terms of days of fishing by nonresidents were Minnesota, Florida, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and New York. The top five states in numbers of resident fishing days exported to other states were Illinois, Texas, Pennsylvania, California, and Virginia. A stakeholder perspective including managers and resident anglers is presented to illustrate the diversity of thought on the fishing as tourism issue. Ecotourism is defined, illustrated with examples, and offered as a future means for coping with the fishing days being exported to various states. Fishery managers need to acquire a greater awareness of fishing tourism in their states and develop effective partnerships with state and local tourism promotion organizations.

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