U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Wildlife & Sport Fish Restoration Program

National Survey - Overview

The National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation is a partnership effort with the States and national conservation organizations, and has become one of the most important sources of information on fish and wildlife recreation in the United States. It is a useful tool that quantifies the economic impact of wildlife-based recreation. Federal, State, and private organizations use this detailed information to manage wildlife, market products, and look for trends. The 2006 Survey is the eleventh in a series of surveys conducted about every 5 years that began in 1955.

According to the 2006 National Survey (4,305 KB PDF) 87.5 million U.S. residents fished, hunted, or watched wildlife in 2006. They spent over $122 billion pursuing their recreational activities, contributing to millions of jobs in industries and businesses that support wildlife-related recreation. Funds generated by licenses and taxes on hunting and fishing equipment pay for many of the conservation efforts in this country and provide many hours of fishing, hunting, and wildlife-associated recreation. There are also 2006 individualized state reports available.

In addition to the data published in the national survey reports and fifty state reports, the USFWS Survey staff identifies additional priority information needed by state fish and wildlife agencies, national conservation agencies, and other major survey stakeholders that can be based on analysis of the surveys’ databases. The reports produced are published as addenda to the surveys and include such topics as trends in fishing and hunting recruitment and retention, the economic impacts of expenditures on wildlife watching on state and national economies, and the extent of private and public land use by hunters and anglers.

The following types of data are presented in the reports:

  • Number of anglers, hunters, and wildlife-watching participants, by type of activity.
  • Trips and days spent on different types of activities.
  • Expenditures (trip, equipment, etc.), by type of fishing and hunting and wildlife-watching activity.
  • Number of persons and days of participation by animal sought.
  • Demographic characteristics of participants (including age, income, sex, race, and education).

The reports/data are organized by survey year and are available for download, 2006 Reports, 2001 Reports, 1996 Reports, and 1991 Reports.

A CD containing data used to prepare the reports and hard copies of the reports and products still available can be obtained by contacting:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
NCTC Publication Unit
698 Conservation Way
Shepherdstown, WV 25443
(304) 876-7203 or email: pubs@fws.gov