Hunting: "The End is in Sight," Says The Fund for Animals

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service WILDLIFE-RELATED RECREATION PRELIMINARY SURVEY RESULTS and Animal rights wishful thinking.

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"The End is in Sight," Says The Fund for Animals, as New Government Report Charts the Continuing Decline of Hunting in America

5/21/2002, The Fund for Animals

SILVER SPRING, MD -- Proclaiming that "The end of hunting is in sight," The Fund for Animals, a national animal protection group, is celebrating yesterday's release of preliminary results from a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) report showing that the number of hunters in the U.S. declined by 7% between 1996 and 2001. During the same five years, the number of wildlife watchers, people who enjoy wildlife without harming them, increased by 5%.

This latest in a series of reports issued every five years documents a
continuing trend. According to the USFWS, in 1985 there were 16.7 million hunters in the U.S, while in 2001 there were only 13 million, a decline of 22% over fifteen years. This led Heidi Prescott, national director of The Fund for Animals, to comment that, "These are long-term trends, not just a blip in the numbers, and we're delighted to see that more and more people are trading their guns for cameras."

The USFWS results showed the largest declines in "small game" (22%) and "other animal" hunting (31%). According to Norm Phelps, a program coordinator at The Fund and author of the report Body Count: The Death Toll in America's War on Wildlife, "The decline is taking place primarily among hunters of small game. Since they kill many more animals than big game hunters, we can expect the total number of hunting victims to decline as well."

Michael Markarian, executive vice president of The Fund, noted that,
"Hunters now make up only 4.6% of the population, compared to the 31% who are wildlife watchers. It's time for the Fish and Wildlife Service and state wildlife agencies to start paying attention to their own numbers and stop catering to a tiny special interest group. Wildlife belongs to everyone, not just the few people who hunt."

Concluded Prescott, "Over a decade ago, T.A. Heberlein and E.J. Thomson, experts on hunting demographics at the University of Wisconsin, predicted that by 2050, sport hunting could well cease to exist. This latest report shows that they were right on target. The end of hunting is no more than a generation away."
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From: <Mitch_Snow@fws.gov>
MANY AMERICANS ENJOY WILDLIFE-RELATED RECREATION
PRELIMINARY SURVEY RESULTS SHOW

Nicholas Throckmorton 202-208-5636

MANY AMERICANS ENJOY WILDLIFE-RELATED RECREATION, PROVIDING STRONG BOOST TO NATION'S ECONOMY, PRELIMINARY SURVEY RESULTS SHOW

Wildlife-related recreation continues to be popular in America, with 39 percent of all U.S. residents 16 years old and older participating in activities such as hunting, fishing, and birdwatching, according to preliminary  results from the 2001 " National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife Associated Recreation," conducted by the Interior Department's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

In 2001, more than 82 million Americans engaged in wildlife-related recreation in the U.S. B an increase of five million in comparison with
the last survey conducted in 1996.  These recreationists spent more than $110 billion pursuing their activities.  These expenditures accounted for 1.1% of the gross domestic product, a considerable contribution to the U.S. economy.

"Wildlife is an American icon," said Service Director Steve Williams. " Wildlife-related recreationists have always been staunch supporters of wildlife conservation in America.  Wildlife recreation significantly benefits our economy, creates jobs, and enhances our standard of living." Fishing is one of the Nation's favorite pastimes, with 34 million anglers age 16 or older, each spending an average of 16 days fishing in 2001. Anglers spent more than $35 billion on trips, equipment, and other items for their sport, averaging more than $1,046 apiece.

More than 28 million people went freshwater fishing, while nine million people went saltwater fishing. The Great Lakes, one of the most widely fished freshwater areas, attracted 2 million anglers.

While the number of anglers held steady compared to the last Survey in 1996, expenditures declined by 17 percent.

Meanwhile, 13 million Americans age 16 and older hunted an average of 17.5 days each in 2001. They spent more than $20 billion on their activities and equipment, or $1,581 apiece.

Nearly 11 million hunters sought big game such as deer and elk on l53 million days. Roughly five million hunters pursued small game, including squirrels and rabbits, on 60 million days.

Three million migratory bird hunters spent 29 million days hunting for birds such as doves and ducks. And l million hunters spent l9 million days hunting other animals such as raccoons and woodchucks.

Although the number of all hunters declined by seven percent from 1996 to 2001, the number of big game and migratory hunters held steady.  The declines were in small game (-22%) and other animal hunting (-31%). Hunters expenditures did not change significantly from 1996 to 2001.

More than 66 million adults  31 percent of all Americans  participated in feeding, observing, and photographing wildlife and spent $40 billion.

Twenty-two million people, or 33 percent of this total, took outings of one mile or more away from home to participate in these activities. Sixty-three million, or 95 percent, enjoyed wildlife-related activities around their homes.

Some 54 million enthusiasts fed birds and other wildlife around the home, while more than 42 million observed wildlife and 14 million photographed wildlife around the home.  Almost l3 million people maintained plantings or natural areas for the benefit of wildlife around the home, and 11 million visited public parks or natural areas to enjoy wildlife within a mile of home.

From 1991 to 1996, the number of people observing, feeding, and photographing wildlife increased by five percent, while their expenditures remained constant at $510 apiece.

The U.S. Bureau of Census interviewed 80,000 households in the United States to determine participants in wildlife-associated activities.  From this initial phase, 30,000 sportsmen and sportswomen and 15,000 wildlife watchers were selected for detailed interviews about their participation and expenditures in 2001.

Preliminary State specific data will be available in June. The final National report will be released in October 2002; individual state reports will be released starting in November 2002.

NOTE TO EDITORS: The 2001 National Preliminary Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife Associated Recreation is posted at http://federalaid.fws.gov/