Fishing License Sales
These links provide data about
annual license sales and revenues, the factors that cause fishing license
sales and participation to change and an index that tracks quarterly
license sales trends by region.
Annual License Sales by State
Based on data collected from the states by
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, this source reports the number
of people who purchased a fishing license annually, by state,
for the past several decades.
These numbers represent the minimum number of anglers. Many states
do not require seniors, youth and military personnel to purchase a license.
Plus, many Atlantic coast states do not require saltwater anglers to purchase
licenses as of 2008. There are other exemptions which vary by state.
Angler Lifestyle Analysis
This section contains information regarding an analysis of state fishing license
data to learn where people are more likely to take up fishing or to drop out,
how loyal people are as license buyers and anglers, trends driving angler numbers
and more. Reports for 15 states are available. This project was conducted in partnership with the Association of Fish and
Wildlife Agencies and ASA with funding from the Sport Fish Restoration Multi-State
Grant program.
Factors Driving State Fishing License Sales and Revenues
This project, conducted jointly by ASA and state fisheries agencies, identifies the factors
that cause fishing license sales to rise or fall in 36 states, and
explains how these factors impact each state's annual license sales
and revenues. The results are useful in understanding what causes people
to fish or not fish, and the varying degree of impact each variable
has on sportfishing participation.
License Sales Indices
Produced in partnership with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies,
this quarterly index presents fishing license sales trends by region. This data is available from first quarter 2003 to the first quarter of 2005.
