Hunting and fishing in Florida is a big economic boon, reports the Jacksonville Business Journal… bigger than Disney or the National Football League, according to a new study.
The study showed that Florida's more than 2 million hunters and anglers have a $4.8 billion economic impact on the state each year.
The report, which was produced by the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, said spending by hunters and anglers in Florida support 85,000 jobs, more than Disney World's 61,000. Those jobs generate payroll of $2.5 billion.
"Because sportsmen enjoy hunting or fishing alone or in small groups, they are overlooked as a constituency and as a substantial economic force," said Jeff Crane, foundation president. "When you compare spending by hunters and anglers to other sectors, their impact on the state's economy becomes more tangible."
Other findings of the study include:
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Annual spending by Florida fishermen is $4.4 billion, three times more than the cash receipts from the state's orange crop.
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The 2 million Florida residents who hunt and fish each year are more than the number who attend Jaguars, Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers games (1.6 million).
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The economic stimulus of hunting and fishing amounts to $13 million a day being pumped into the Florida economy.
The study used results from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-associated Recreation and statistics from the American Sportfishing Association and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
