A Special Report on Recreational Angling in the USA was published in July 2024.
The annual report was produced by the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) and the Outdoor Foundation, and provides detailed information and trends on angling participation by gender, age, ethnicity, income, education and geographic region.
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In 2023, 57.7 million Americans ages 6 and over took to the nation’s waterways to enjoy recreational fishing, a 6 percent increase from 2022.
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Following modest declines in 2021 and modest gains in 2022, there was a sizable net increase of 3.2 million fishing participants in 2023.
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The average annual spend of an angler is $1,500.
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The data underscores the critical importance of introducing fishing at a young age.
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Retaining newcomers is a crucial part of the continued success of recreational angling.
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The industry can support in various ways: remind newcomers about great fishing experiences, highlight convenient water access, provide beginner educational resources, emphasize the social aspects of fishing and boating, and recommend cost-effective equipment.
=> Download the 2024 full report (65 pages)
=> Download the 2024 Infographic
Why is it so difficult to obtain similar data in Europe?
In the USA, lots of invaluable recreational fishing data and reports are produced every year to the benefit of public authorities, private companies and everybody else with an interest in recreational fishing and boating. Donations, licenses and, not the least, the special excise tax on recreational fishing tackle, boats and fuel, provide the necessary financial support to provide robust data and reports, to promote recreational angling and to carry out important conservation projects. The excise tax also contributes to the running of RBFF.
Unfortunately, much less data is produced in Europe, for various reasons of which lack of funding is the most important one.
Europe
In Europe, there is clearly a need for closer and more effective cooperation in recreational angling and boating, just like in the USA. Tax funding and a strong (20+ staff) dedicated recreational and boating organisation like the RBFF would be very welcome. Regrettably, the situation in Europe is quite different.
For many years, EFTTA has been promoting a similar excise funding scheme as in the USA. However, legislating at EU level is currently not possible. It has to be introduced nationally. EFTTA hopes that one or more EU Member States will adopt such an excise tax, and that other countries will follow.
EFTTA also pushes for a European recreational fishing socio-economic study to be conducted every five years alike the one they do in the USA. Such a study could easily be funded by one or more of the many EU funding schemes for fisheries, tourism and sustainable development. A few EU states conduct such studies regularly. But the countries are not in sync in terms of time or terminology and methodology used. Some of these and other ‘sporadic’ studies can be found on this webpage run by the European Anglers Alliance (EAA).
USA
About RBFF: foundation, purpose & funding
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The Sportfishing and Boating Safety Act of 1998 required a "Strategic Plan For the National Outreach and Communication Program".
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As a result, the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) was established in 1998 as a non-profit association "to increase participation in recreational angling and boating, thereby protecting and restoring the nation’s aquatic natural resources".
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In the USA, an excise tax plays a huge role in funding data collection, reports, and promotion of recreational fishing and environment conservation projects. This source accounts for a substantial portion of RBFF's funding.
