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Fishing is BIG business

A lot of people are doing more than imagining themselves fishing in Florida. According to a recent study, almost 3 million visitors go salt water fishing each year. Since some make more than one trip in a year, tourists actually account for 12 million trips per year. On top of that, there are 2.3 million resident salt water anglers who make multiple fishing trips totaling 20 million angler trips each year. Anyway you look at it, that's a lot of lines in the water.

Did you ever think about the economic impact of all these fishing trips? A 1991 Florida Sea Grant report shows how economically important recreational angling is to Florida. Resident anglers spent $1.3 billion in 1991-92 on salt water fishing. Of that amount, $949.1 million was spend on Florida-produced goods and services. In terms of jobs for Floridians, the study says that 22,887 full-time jobs resulted from recreational fishing..

Tourists contributed their share to Florida's economy as well. The study also reports that visitors contributed $1.3 billion to the state's economy just for salt water fishing and created 23,518 jobs.

Obviously, fishing is an important economic asset to the state. This fact is why you hear about the need for clean water and healthy aquatic habitats. With these, fish populations can flourish and reproduce, ensuring that there are fish to catch today, tomorrow and in the years to come.