The U. S. National Marine Recreational Fishing Expenditure Survey

Marine recreational fishing is a popular pastime across the United States that has significant economic contributions to both local economies and to the nation.  NOAA Fisheries conducts a national angler survey on a regular basis in all coastal states to obtain data on expenditures by anglers related to marine recreational fishing.   At the national level, marine anglers spent an estimated $4.4 billion on trip-based expenditures (e.g., ice, bait, and fuel) and another $19 billion on fishing equipment and durable goods (e.g., fishing rods, fishing tackle, and boats) in 2011.  Estimates of total angler expenditures were used in an economic regional input-output model to examine how those expenditures circulated through each state’s economy as well as the economy of the entire U.S.   Results indicate that angler expenditures contributed an estimated $56 billion in total output impacts, $29 billion in value-added impacts (i.e., contribution to gross domestic product), $18 billion in income impacts, and supported 364 thousand jobs in the United States in 2011.    This presentation will provide a brief overview of the survey methods and sampling strategies, the types of data collected, and the procedures used to calculate expenditures and the resulting economic impacts.