| Economic Value of Fishing and Boating in Pennsylvania |
| FACT SHEET |
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| Boating Facts |
Pennsylvania residents age 12 and over spend $1.7 billion on boating annually (including
boat fishing) - the average expenditure per recreational boater is $2741.
 The average recreational boater
spends $113 a year in direct boating-related expenses, including: purchasing or renting of boats, boat
fuel, boating supplies, maintenance and repairs, storage and registration.
Expanding this by the number
of recreational boaters, $1.3 billion is spent annually on "direct" boating expenditures.
The average recreational boater
spends $161 per year on trip-related expenses, including: auto fuel, meals, lodging and admission/entrance
fees.
Expanding this by the number
of recreational boaters, $416.1 million is spent annually on trip related items. Retail sales of new boats,
motors, trailers and boating accessories in PA in 1997 totaled approximately $287 million. |
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| Fishing Facts |
PA residents age 16 years and older spent $800 million on fishing in PA and elsewhere
(including boat fishing) in 20012. The average angler spent $632 in
2001 on fishing.
There were more than $800
million in direct fishing expenditures3 in PA in 2001 by resident and nonresident
anglers which created $1.62 billion in PA economic output.4
In addition to the $1.62 billion
in output, the Commonwealth benefited from:
- $387 million in worker earnings (in addition to the $1.62 billion in output) which supported 14,611 jobs
in the Commonwealth.
- $43 million in state sales tax.
- $10 million in state income taxes.
- $65 million in federal income taxes.
- $5 million in federal excise taxes from the Sport Fish Restoration Act.
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| Total Economic Value of Fishing And Boating |
The above figures show that fishing and boating together have economic impacts
valued at more than $2 billion per year in Pennsylvania.
Fishing and boating in Pennsylvania in 1996 put more than twice the amount of money into the State General Fund
than fishing license and boat registration sales put into the Fish Fund and the Boat Fund5.
The trip-related expenditure information shows that a substantial portion of the economic benefits of fishing
and boating are attributable to travel and tourism. |
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| The Economic Value of Fishing and Boating to Local Economies |
In 1994, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Heritage Preservation Commission published
the results of a nine-county study consisting of more than 14,000 interviews. The counties included in the
study were: Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fayette, Fulton, Huntingdon, Indiana, Somerset, and Westmoreland. Study
results indicated:
- Fishing and boating in the counties added $10.2 million in direct sales6 benefiting the local economies and
$17.7 million in secondary sales7.
- Fishing and boating activity generated $9.5 million in employee income and supported 669 jobs.
Another study, completed in 1983, shows that a total of $6.7 million in fishing-related sales were made in Erie
County during 1982. Since 1982, the popularity of the Lake Erie fisheries has grown substantially. |
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| The Economic Value of the Shad Fishery on the Delaware River |
Certain fishery resources in the Commonwealth provide impressive benefits to the
state and local economies. Notable among these resources are the shad fishery on the Delaware River and the
steelhead fishery in Erie County. These fisheries draw both in-state and out-of-state anglers and represent
a significant recreational and economic resource. A 1986 study of shad fishing on the Delaware showed:
- Anglers spent an average of $25.40 per trip on gasoline, food, lodging and fishing tackle. Expanding this
average by the number of angler trips in 1986 shows that anglers spent $1.6 million during the nine week season!
- The study also showed what anglers were willing to pay for the shad fishing experience. The average angler
was willing to pay $50 per day of shad fishing. Expanding this willingness to pay by the number of angler
days in 1986, the annual economic value of the Delaware shad fishery can be estimated at $3.2 million.
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| Endnotes |
- 1987 Recreational Boating Participation Survey, Chilton Research Services, June 1988
- 2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
- Sportfishing in America, American Sportfishing Association, 2002
- The $1.62 billion includes direct expenditures and impacts on PA suppliers, wholesalers and manufacturers, as
well as indirect and induced effects from these spinoff impacts.
- $53 million in state sales and incomes taxes vs. $19 million in license revenue and $4.5 in boat registration
revenue.
- The direct sales include only regional expenditures.
- The secondary sales include inter-industry sales or other indirect sales (indirect impact) and expenditure of
household income earned from employment tied to direct or indirect sales.
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