We’re Not Alone - Hunting and Fishing Interest is Going Down in the United States
A recent AP article describes the issue of decreased interest in the outdoor sports of hunting and fishing.
Sales of Vermont hunting and fishing licenses have dropped more than 20 percent over the last 20 years, leaving the Fish and Wildlife Department pleading with lawmakers for extra funding.
Other states report similar drop-offs:
_Arkansas hunting license sales dropped from about 345,000 in 1999 to about 319,000 in 2003.
_Pennsylvania sold about 946,000 hunting licenses in 2006, down from just over a million in 1999, and a peak of 1.3 million in 1981.
_Oregon had 100,000 fewer licensed anglers last year than in 1987, and 70,000 fewer licensed hunters.
_West Virginia sold 154,763 resident hunting permits in 2006, a 17 percent decrease from 1997.
This past week, I drove by several trout streams in Lebanon and Lancaster Counties during the opening week of trout season. Even the first day, many once popular fishing spots were void of fishermen. Writing this is depressing me. We are getting close to crisis mode. We can’t continue to sustain these decreases and expect to preserve our access to enjoy Penn’s Outdoors for hunting and fishing.
Posted: April 7th, 2008 under PA Hunting.
Comments: 3
I say that, but haven’t been out at all this year down here in WV
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