Wildlife Recreation Numbers Down

Being an avid fisherman, I was surprised to hear that wildlife recreation numbers are down.  After the release of preliminary findings in June, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has published the final version of its 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wild-life-Associated Recreation.

The survey shows a decrease in hunting and fishing since the '90s though the number is wildlife watchers has increased during that same period.  Since 2001, the last time the Fish and Wildlife Service published the study, the number of wildlife recreation participants rose 6%, to 87.5 million Americans ages 16 and older.  An 8% increase in wildlife was enough to bring the total up despite declines in fishers and hunters.

Tom Kroening, the Colorado Division of Wildlife's area manager, said Summit County hunting and fishing numbers have stayed steady in the last five years and have probably grown over the last decade.  He cited better-stocked waters and large deer and elk populations as reasons why local numbers buck the national trend.

Local outdoor-recreation businesses offered varying points of view when the study's preliminary findings were released in June.

"Our sales have increased steadily each of the past six years," Cutthroat Anglers manager Mitch Vogt said at the time, while Dan Fields, owner of Summit Guides fly fishing tours said, "In 25 years I've seen the number of trips per summer go down from 800 to 300". 

The survey is conducted every five years by interviewing a random sample of U.S. households about occupants' wildlife-recreation habits in the past year.

One of the reasons I love the Rocky Mountains is the wildlife recreation.  These numbers are so surprising to me.

Credits to Adam Boffey.  Summit Daily News