Tracking America's Outdoor Pursuits

By Richard Aiken

Being in nature—immersed, participating, observing—evokes a sense of wonder and a contemplation with the sublime of unquestionable yet unmeasurable value. But what is measurable is how and where the American public engages in such activities—fishing, hunting, wildlife-watching. Every five years the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program publishes the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. The first survey was conducted in 1955, and each one has provided an extraordinary and solid look into how Americans use their time and money as it relates to the outdoors.

Fishing and hunting and wildlife-watching remain significant activities in the U.S. As an economist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service I have been part of eight such surveys, and I have been the lead economist and co-director on seven. I still marvel over how the measurable ways people spend their time and money reveals where their hearts lie.

The data published in each survey is a snapshot of our association with outdoor activities. Those accustomed to the instantaneous data dump customary to our digital age may find it a bit disconcerting to learn that the knowledge gleaned from each survey is typically four to five years old by the time the completed survey is released to the public. The most recent data available contains data collected in 2022.

That, however, does not lessen the impact and importance of its contents. Through the years, the methods by which we collected data have been tuned and refined and, in some cases, discarded. Landlines, replaced by cell phones, are nearly an artifact of the past and no longer relied on. The number of people we survey has grown tremendously. The most recent survey comes from interviews of 106,000 people, lending great credence to our report, which includes new categories.

The survey will for the first time show how many Americans recreate in motorized boats—that is, people who boat for boating’s sake. Previous surveys only reported how many hunters or anglers used a boat in their pursuits.

You can look forward to learning how social demographics have changed in outdoor pursuits—information that should be quite valuable for those professionals interested in recruitment, retention, and reactivation of the public who are interested in hunting, angling, boating, and target shooting. The survey also will be of use to a great many people, those in the firearms, archery, boating, and tackle manufacturing industries, as well as tourism bureaus, chambers of commerce, state legislatures, and certainly the state fish and wildlife agencies, for it is those professionals who conserve fish and wildlife and ensure hunting, boating, and angler access in their respective jurisdictions.

Hunting, target shooting, fishing, and boating all contribute to the social and economic well-being of our nation and its people. Fishing and hunting are often the economic driver in rural America. Outdoor pursuits color and enrich our lives, welcome elixirs to the anguishes we all feel. The survey is scheduled for release this fall. (fws.gov)