Fishing, Hunting Important for Nation's Economy

Photo by Robert Montgomery

Members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) learned this week about the rise in hunting and fishing participation and its importance to this country.

"To put it in perspective, the 37 million sportsmen and women over the age of 16 in America is the same as the population of the state of California, and the $90 billion they spent in 2011 is the same as the global sales of Apple's iPad™ and iPhone™ in the same year," said Jeff Crane, president of the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation.

"Hunting and fishing have been, and clearly continue to be, important elements of our country's outdoor heritage and they are critically important to our nation's economy - particularly the small local economies that support quality hunting and fishing opportunities."

The CSC was briefed by a coalition of angling groups and the outdoor industry, with information obtained from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2011 National Survey on Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife Associated Recreation. To show the importance of fishing and hunting participation and expenditures, these groups compared them to mainstream industries.

Released in August, the data shows a 9 percent increase in hunters and an 11 percent increase in anglers, compared to the 2006 survey. (Since this information refers only to those 16 and older, actual participation is likely higher when adding in youth.)

Most importantly, hunters and anglers continued their strong spending habits. From equipment expenditures ($8.2 billion for hunters, $6.2 billion for anglers) to special equipment ($25 billion towards boats, RV's, ATV's and other such vehicles) to trip-related expenses totaling over $32 billion, sportsmen and women continue to direct their discretionary income toward their outdoor pursuits.

"The economic impact of hunting and fishing is profound in South Dakota and across the country," said Sen. John Thune (South Dakota), Republican Senate Co-Chair of the CSC. "It's important that we have policies that promote hunting and fishing and support the outdoor industries."

"People don't think about hunting and fishing in terms of economic growth," added Sen. Jon Tester (Montana), Democratic Senate Co-Chair of the CSC. "The statistics in the new economic impact report are great and will go a long way to telling the public just how important hunting and fishing are in this country."

Beyond the impact to businesses and local economies, sportsmen and women have played an essential and unmatched role in conserving fish and wildlife and their habitats. Sportsmen and women are the nation's most ardent conservationists, putting money toward state fish and wildlife management.

When you combine license and stamp fees, excise taxes on hunting and fishing equipment, the tax from small engine fuel and membership contributions to conservation organizations, hunters and anglers directed $3 billion towards on-the-ground conservation and restoration efforts in 2011 - that is over $95 every second.

This does not include their own habitat acquisition and restoration work for lands owned or leased for the purpose of hunting and fishing, which would add another $11 billion to the mix.

"This is the 75th anniversary of our nation's system of conservation funding - a model that is envied throughout the world - that directs excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment toward state-based conservation,” said Michael Nussman, president and CEO of the American Sportfishing Association.

“The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration programs have resulted in robust fish and wildlife populations and quality habitat that is the legacy of the industry and sportsmen and women.”

More California Craziness Shows What's Coming if President Is Re-elected

Dan Richardson lost his job as chairman of the California Fish and Game Commission for legally hunting a mountain lion in Idaho.

Once more I am warning you: Anglers and hunters will pay dearly for their passiveness if Barack Obama is re-elected.

A second term will mean an administration controlled by preservationists and environmental groups who revile fishing and hunting as much as they hate fossil fuels and free markets. They will make it their mission to use Executive Orders and agency regulations to shut down both sports as quickly and as thoroughly as possible.

Certainly their views do not represent the majority of people in this country, but they are zealots with deep pockets. They can get what they want if we do not fight back with the power of the vote in November.

Sadly, California already has fallen to them, and it is the poster child for what they want to achieve nationally. The latest evidence is the removal of Dan Richards as president of the California Fish and Game Commission. Bowing to pressure from anti-hunting and animal rights groups, other commissioners unanimously voted him out.

His crime? Legally killing a mountain lion in Idaho and then posing for a photo with the carcass.

Of course, hunting mountain lions is illegal in the enlightened state of California.

The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation says this:  

“After the photo was published, anti-hunting state legislators circulated a letter threatening to remove Richards from the California Fish and Game Commission if he did not resign on his own. Undeterred and remaining steadfastly committed to standing up for California's recreational hunters and anglers, Richards refused to step down and legislators eventually abandoned their efforts to remove him from his post on the Commission.

“Despite being stripped of his leadership position, Richards has stated that he intends to remain on the commission through the remainder of his term which will expire in February 2013.”

Michael Bolton has a great piece about the difference between California and the rest of the nation at Al.com. His opening paragraph:

“California and Alabama aren't different states. They are different planets.”

And if we re-elect this President, we will suffer four more years of an administration pushing us to be more like California, which is totally alien to the values of most of us who fish and hunt.

Sportsman Ryan a Good Choice for Anglers

Many of my friends in fisheries conservation organizations like Paul Ryan. They praise his honesty, his intelligence, his humbleness, and his ability to concisely explain complicated financial issues.

Below you can read what the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSC) has to say about Mitt Romney’s choice of Ryan as Republican vice-presidential candidate. CSC and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus are two of the greatest allies that anglers have in Washington, D.C.

From 2007 to 2011, Representative Ryan served as co-chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, one of the largest bi-partisan caucuses in the US Congress with over 300 members representing almost all 50 states. Representative Ryan worked with democratic co-chairs on a number of bi-partisan sportsmen's issues during his two-term tenure as co-chair of the CSC. In the 110th Congress, Representative Ryan worked with his Wisconsin House colleague Representative Ron Kind as he did with co-chair Representative Dan Boren of Oklahoma during the 111th Congress.

Representative Boren showed his admiration for Representative Ryan from the other side of the aisle and gave praise to his CSC colleague's announced candidacy:

 "Paul has a firm moral compass and has always approached his job as a congressman with diligence and honesty. Having many friends on both sides of the aisle, he is an effective and talented leader. Although we belong in different political parties, I see Paul as a friend, a fellow hunter, and most importantly, a family man."

A self-described sportsman and an avid archery hunter, Representative Ryan understands the importance of bi-partisanship as a means of protecting and pursuing issues significant to the sportsmen's heritage. During his time as CSC co-chair, Representative Ryan supported legislation that achieved many victories for hunting, trapping, and recreational shooting and angling, along with other conservation and fish and wildlife habitat initiatives.

National Park Service Disregards Importance of Access

National Park Service (NPS) policies provide some of the most glaring examples of this administration’s disregard for recreational angling and its embrace of preservation as opposed to conservation.

Here is what the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation has to say:

“The sport fishing and boating community has been subjected to a recent disturbing trend within the National Park Service of disregarding the importance of providing access to sportsmen and women on our nation's public lands.

“The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee on National Parks highlighted one such example, in Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreation Area, N.C., during a hearing held on Wednesday, June 27.

“Among the bills included at the hearing was "Preserving Public Access to Cape Hatteras Beaches Act" (S. 2372), which would address the severe restrictions on public access to one of the East Coast's most popular surf fishing areas in Cape Hatteras.

If passed, S. 2372 - a companion bill to H.R. 4094 - would reinstate the 2007 Interim Management Strategy governing off-road vehicle use in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area which allows for a more balanced approach to fish and wildlife management concerns and provides for adequate recreational fishing access.

“The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation signed on to a support letter on S. 2372 which the recreational fishing community circulated to Senators prior to the hearing.”

Florida’s Biscayne National Park is another target for NPS’s look-but-don’t-touch policies. It wants to create large marine reserves --- no-fishing zones --- that would close more than 20 percent of the park’s public waters to fishing, boating, and other recreational activities.

 Go to this CSF page to express your concerns to your senators and representatives about the access threats to these public resources.

Tell Your Congressmen to Support Sportmen's Heritage Act

Contact your representatives in Congress, urging them to support the Sportsmen’s Heritage Act of 2012 (H.R. 4089). In doing so, you will be joining a coalition of 38 sportsmen’s groups that have expressed their support in a letter to House leadership.

“Due to the efforts of the bipartisan Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus leadership and many of its members, H.R. 4089 has advanced to this critical juncture,” says the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation.

“The Sportsmen’s Heritage Act is essential to recognizing the importance of and facilitating the expansion and enhancement of hunting and recreational fishing and shooting.”

Here’s an excerpt from the letter:

“Summarily, the bill includes language that:

• requires hunting and recreational shooting and fishing to be recognized activities on all Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands;
• protects recreational shooting on National Monuments under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management;
• amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act to allow hunters who legally harvested polarbears in Canada prior to its listing under the Endangered Species Act to purchase permits in order to transport their trophies into the U.S.;
• and clarifies that the Environmental Protection Agency does not have the jurisdiction toregulate traditional ammunition with lead components and lead fishing tackle.”

 Also, during these tough financial times, none of the provisions contain authorization for funding. This legislation is about protecting and enhancing our fishing and hunting rights and opportunities.  

Go here to contact your Congressional representative.