December 2002
Contact: WDFW Public Affairs
(360-902-2250)

Fish and wildlife-associated recreation, including wildlife- watching, fishing and hunting, is big business in Washington state. Of course, these outdoor pursuits keep cash registers ringing at sporting goods stores, bait shops and boat ramps. They also make a substantial contribution to motels, campgrounds, convenience stores, restaurants, gas stations and other small businesses across the state, especially in Washington's rural communities.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2002 released a national survey which details participation by people over the age of 16 in fish and wildlife-related recreation. Data for the survey was collected in two phases by the U S. Census Bureau, with sample sizes designed to provide statistically reliable results at the state level.

Following are some of the findings from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation:

• Fishers, hunters and wildlife viewers spend a combined total of over $2.18 billion annually in Washington state in 2001.
• Washington ranks first in the Northwest, and eighth in the nation, in spending by sport fishers, which totaled nearly $854 million in 2001.
• Washington also ranks first in the Northwest, and seventh nationally, in spending by wildlife-watchers. Participants spent a total of nearly $980 million here in 2001.
• Hunters spent nearly $350 million pursuing their sport in Washington in 2001.
• The survey indicated that nearly 2.5 million people, both residents and non-residents, participated in wildlife-watching activities in Washington state in2001, while 227,000 people hunted here, and 659,000 sport anglers fished here.

Besides the USFWS survey, other sources confirm the importance of fish and wildlife-recreation to local economies. For example, razor clam diggers spent an estimated $4.6 million in 2001 in Washington coastal communities such as Long Beach and Ocean Shores, according to officials in Grays Harbor and Pacific counties.

The Columbia River spring chinook fishery, alone, is estimated to generate a $15.4 million economic impact, according to the Northwest Sportfishing Association. The Northwest Dive News estimates that Washington has 10,000 active scuba divers who spend an average of $150 a day when pursuing their sport, after typically shelling out $3,000 on gear and lessons.

One measure of the interest generated by wildlife-related recreation is the growth of annual wildlife-themed festivals across the state. At least 12 take place each year in rural communities from the Upper Skagit valley to Walla Walla, and more than half of those have arisen in the past decade.

Celebrating the annual return of species such as bald eagles and sandhill cranes– and the viewing opportunities they present– many of these festivals take place in months when other fair-weather tourism is in a lull and generate hundreds of thousands of dollars for local economies.

Following its legislative mandate to maximize fish and wildlife-related recreation, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has played an active role in making these pursuits possible. Some examples include:

• Operating a state-wide hatchery system, and marking hatchery-produced salmon and steelhead to distinguish them from protected wild fish. In doing so, the department has been able to create more than 50 selective salmon fisheries, allowing recreational angling to continue without jeopardizing efforts to protect and recover wild salmon under the federal Endangered Species Act.
• Stocking state lakes with over 27 million trout and warmwater fish species.
• Managing more than 600 water access sites statewide.
• Increasing hunter opportunity by extending the overall hunting season through separate hunts for various weapons types.
• Working with local governments and citizen groups to expand fish and wildlife viewing opportunities.
• Structuring the time and place of certain fisheries to maximize economic benefits for communities.
• Promoting participation in hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing by publicizing recreational opportunities through video and print products and outreach and education programs, including hunting and youth-fishing clinics.