Friday, February 12, 2010

Fishing great for the economy

Maybe the government should create a fishing "stimulus" package for all of the small communities in Idaho, or even better, a tax credit/deduction for fisherman who spend money supporting communities while pursuing their passion. Idaho Fish and Game found the following when studying fishing's impact on the economy:

2003 Idaho Sport Fishing Economic Report

Statewide
In 2003, Idaho's population was 1,366,332 with one in four eligible people residing in Idaho purchasing a fishing license. There were 424,375 fishing licenses and 106,759 permits (chinook/steelhead/2 pole permits) sold to 400,824 individuals of which 124,297 were nonresidents. Fishing in Idaho generated $437,631,735 in statewide retail sales in 2003 with an additional $12,289,806 for fishing licenses and permits.
Anglers fished 3,908,747 days on 2,917,972 trips with an average of 1.3 days per trip and 5.1 hours per day and $150 per trip.

They spent:
  1. $106,027,912 on food and beverages in stores.
  2. $ 42,241,442 on food and beverages in restaurants.
  3. $ 61,857,157 on fishing supplies.
  4. $ 59,982,392 on other equipment and supplies.
  5. $ 91,115,794 on round-trip transportation.
  6. $ 31,495,818 on outfitters and/or guides.
  7. $ 29,358,536 on motels.
  8. $ 10,008,279 on campgrounds, public and/or private.
  9. $ 5,544,405 on Access Fees, boat launches, parking, etc.
  10. $ 12,289,806 on fishing licenses and permits.

1 comment:

Steve Petersen said...

Maybe you should make a proposition. If only it would work, that would be the day.