Table 3.5  Recreational Fishing and Hunting in the United States, 1955-1996

  Fishermen Hunters Total
  Fresh- Salt-   Small Big Water-   sports-
Year water water Total game game fowl Total men
                 
  millions
                 
1955 18.42 4.56 20.81 9.82 4.41 1.99 11.78 24.92
1960 21.68 6.29 25.32 12.11 6.28 1.96 14.64 30.44
1965 23.96 8.31 28.34 10.58 6.57 1.65 13.58 32.88
1970 29.36 9.46 33.15 11.67 7.77 2.89 14.34 36.28
1975 36.60 13.74 41.29 14.18 11.04 4.28 17.09 45.77
1980 35.78 11.97 41.87 12.50 11.05 3.18 16.76 46.97
1985 39.12 12.89 45.35 11.13 12.58 3.20 16.34 49.83
1991 31.04 8.89 39.98 7.64 10.75 3.01 14.06 39.98
1996 29.73 9.44 39.69 6.93 11.27 3.04 13.98 39.69
                 
  Fishing days Hunting days Total
  Fresh- Salt-   Small Big Water-   sporting
Year water water Total game game fowl Total days
                 
  millions
                 
1955 338.83 58.62 397.45 118.63 30.83 19.96 169.42 566.87
1960 385.17 80.60 465.77 138.19 39.19 15.16 192.54 658.31
1965 426.92 95.84 522.76 128.45 43.85 13.53 185.82 708.58
1970 592.49 113.69 706.19 124.04 54.54 25.11 203.69 909.88
1975 890.58 167.50 1,050.08 269.65 100.60 31.22 401.48 1,459.55
1980 788.39 164.04 952.42 225.79 117.41 26.18 348.54 1,300.98
1985 895.03 171.06 1,064.99 214.54 135.45 25.93 350.39 1,415.38
1991 439.54 74.70 511.24 77.13 128.41 22.24 227.78 761.33
1996 513.74 103.03 623.54 75.02 153.72 26.50 255.56 879.10

Sources:  U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation (DOI, FWS, Washington, DC, 1993).

--, 1996 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation: National Overview (DOI, FWS, Washington, DC, 1997).

Notes:  Number of fishermen and hunters includes persons 16 years and older. Total number of hunters includes 1,411 hunters of other animals in 1991 and 1,472 in 1996. Totals may not agree with sum of components due to independent rounding and because of multiple responses (e.g., where sportsmen participate in more than one activity per outing). Estimates for 1991 and 1996 are comparable because of similar survey methodologies. However, these estimates are not strictly comparable with estimates from previous surveys because of differences in survey methodologies.

Last Updated on Saturday, April 15, 2000