Fewer Fishing and Hunting Means Less Money for Conservation
Most cite increased video game use and other indoor activities as the reason kids just don’t seem to be getting outdoors as much as they did in the past. In addition, people are working more in order to maintain desirable lifestyles and thus spend less time participating in outdoor leisure activities. Whatever the causes, it’s no secret that fewer people are fishing and hunting now than just a decade or two ago, and a recent AP article reveals some stunning numbers that confirm this notion.
Sales of Vermont hunting and fishing licenses have dropped more than 20 percent over the last 20 years, leaving the Fish and Wildlife Department pleading with lawmakers for extra funding.
Arkansas hunting license sales dropped from about 345,000 in 1999 to about 319,000 in 2003.Pennsylvania sold about 946,000 hunting licenses in 2006, down from just over a million in 1999, and a peak of 1.3 million in 1981.
Oregon had 100,000 fewer licensed anglers last year than in 1987, and 70,000 fewer licensed hunters.
West Virginia sold 154,763 resident hunting permits in 2006, a 17 percent decrease from 1997.
There’s no question these aren’t the only states that have experienced such declines. When comparing results from creel surveys I conducted in northern Maine to numbers from a decade before, it appeared that people simply weren’t fishing as much. Older folks were dying out and weren’t being replaced by the next generation. Growing up I’d heard about the congregations of anglers that would once crowd in front of the inlets of local lakes to fish for smelts. The smelts are still there, but in many areas, the crowds aren’t.
Fewer people participating in outdoor activities ultimately means that fewer licenses dollars are available to fund state fish and wildlife agencies, which rely on license proceeds for a good portion of their budgets.
Many states are beginning to take extra steps to introduce youngsters to the outdoors in hopes that they will become regular participants in these activities and support fish and wildlife management in the coming years.
[...] The Fish Geek points out that less of us means less conservation dollars, less restorative projects, and states are scrambling to unlink wildlife budgets from license sales. Gasoline tariffs, sales taxes, and speeding tickets are being contemplated as a replacement. [...]
March 30th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Very well written post. It is worth it to remind everybody ones in a while what hunting and fishing does for wildlife conservation and the good for all. Love that picture.
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April 2nd, 2008 at 12:05 am
These are issues we face daily. For my part I am trying to get my church to outreach to the local youth and get them to come to derbies at our trout pond. By having these young kids try fishint at an early age they will often keep at it for life. Part of our plan is to give them rods/reels and tackle boxes. These prizes will insure that they remember fondly the time they were fishing. We have been blessed by good sponsors, and the generous membership of our local chapter of the Christian Sportsmans Fellowship. We must all be prepared to do our part or it will be lost.
April 6th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Thanks for the comments. Great post, Singlebarbed. I think this is an issue that will require some hard work and innovative approaches if it’s to be solved. Brent - you are to be commended for your efforts in getting kids into the sport. For some of those kids, the memories you help them make will last for a lifetime, and oftentimes you are right: many become lifetime anglers because of these childhood experiences.
April 6th, 2008 at 10:18 pm