[dropcap]F[/dropcap]lorida is the “Fishing Capital of the World” due to great resources and responsible management, and the numbers back up the claim. Southwick Associates published the “Sportfishing in America: An Economic Force for Conservation, 2013″ for the American Sportfishing Association. This report is based on a study done by the Census Bureau for the US Fish and Wildlife Agency every five years, which determines the value and amount of outdoor recreation in each of the 50 states, and is entitled “The 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation.”
The latest report documented that Florida ranked #1 with 3.1 million anglers (#2 New York had 1.9 million), and total expenditures of $5 billion (#2 New York had $2.7 billion). Florida’s role as the fishing destination for travelers was also overwhelmingly reaffirmed, with 2 million non-resident anglers visiting the state (#2 Michigan had 347,000). The ripple effect of these dollars was an $8.7 billion economic impact that supported 80,211 jobs in Florida.
