Derby
Crew Member
Sport fishing is big business
Published on January 24, 2014
OUTDOOR WORLD COLUMN BY DON MACLEAN
If you ever wondered how many anglers there are in Nova Scotia, or how much they spend every year on their sport, then the results of the recently released 2010 Nova Scotia Sport Fishing survey will interest you. This survey, which is carried out every five years, provides information on the numbers of anglers, their expenditures, the numbers and kinds of fish harvested and the amount of fishing effort expended.
That sounds like a lot of information, and it is. The survey shows that in 2010 there were 64,112 licensed anglers, of these 97 per cent were Nova Scotia residents and three per cent were non-residents. A look at the place of origin for non-resident anglers shows that 68 per cent were Canadian, 29 per cent American and four per cent came from Europe. There were 14,466 young people under the age of 16 living in licensed angler’s households who fished, bringing the number of anglers to 78,578.
Angling continues to be a major recreational activity in Nova Scotia. Licensed resident, and non-resident anglers spent 1.1 million days fishing in 2010. Residents fished an average of 18.5 days in 2010 while non-resident anglers spent an average of 7.2 days. Angling effort by residents continued to be highest in Halifax, Cape Breton and Lunenburg Counties while non-resident anglers expended most of their effort in Inverness County. The survey results show that angling continues to be a popular activity in Pictou County with anglers spending 31,860 days on the waters of Pictou County in 2010.
The age of the angling population is of interest to sport fish managers as they look at future anglers and in the 2010 survey the average age of resident anglers was 52. The sport fishery continues to be made up of a large number of male anglers. In the latest survey approximately 91 per cent of resident anglers were male.
The survey also estimates harvest and in 2010 Nova Scotia anglers caught an estimated four million fish, of which they retained 1.6 million (40 per cent). This retention rate is the same as it was in the 2005 survey and compares to anglers keeping 45 per cent of their catch in 2000, 54 per cent in 1995, 63 per cent in 1990 and 82 per cent in 1985. An average of 70 fish were caught per angler in 2010 of which 28 were retained. Of freshwater species speckled (brook) trout were the preferred species by both resident, and non-resident anglers, this was followed by rainbow trout by residents and Atlantic salmon by non-residents. Smallmouth bass were the third most popular fish for residents and fifth for non-residents.
Sport fishing continues to be an important economic generator in the province. Nova Scotia anglers spent a total of $56.4 million directly on their sport in 2010. The average expenditure per angler on their sport in 2010 was $977.00. If you are interested in finding out more about sport fishing in Nova Scotia copies of the survey are available from the Inland Fisheries Division, Nova Scotia Dept. of Fisheries and Aquaculture, P.O. Box 700, Pictou, N.S. B0K 1H0, or may be viewed on their website at http://novascotia.ca/fish/documents/NS-Sportfishing-Survey.pdf
Sport fishing, an important industry which provides recreation and employment for a lot of people in Nova Scotia.
Don MacLean is an outdoor writer and biologist who lives in Pictou County.
Published on January 24, 2014
OUTDOOR WORLD COLUMN BY DON MACLEAN
If you ever wondered how many anglers there are in Nova Scotia, or how much they spend every year on their sport, then the results of the recently released 2010 Nova Scotia Sport Fishing survey will interest you. This survey, which is carried out every five years, provides information on the numbers of anglers, their expenditures, the numbers and kinds of fish harvested and the amount of fishing effort expended.
That sounds like a lot of information, and it is. The survey shows that in 2010 there were 64,112 licensed anglers, of these 97 per cent were Nova Scotia residents and three per cent were non-residents. A look at the place of origin for non-resident anglers shows that 68 per cent were Canadian, 29 per cent American and four per cent came from Europe. There were 14,466 young people under the age of 16 living in licensed angler’s households who fished, bringing the number of anglers to 78,578.
Angling continues to be a major recreational activity in Nova Scotia. Licensed resident, and non-resident anglers spent 1.1 million days fishing in 2010. Residents fished an average of 18.5 days in 2010 while non-resident anglers spent an average of 7.2 days. Angling effort by residents continued to be highest in Halifax, Cape Breton and Lunenburg Counties while non-resident anglers expended most of their effort in Inverness County. The survey results show that angling continues to be a popular activity in Pictou County with anglers spending 31,860 days on the waters of Pictou County in 2010.
The age of the angling population is of interest to sport fish managers as they look at future anglers and in the 2010 survey the average age of resident anglers was 52. The sport fishery continues to be made up of a large number of male anglers. In the latest survey approximately 91 per cent of resident anglers were male.
The survey also estimates harvest and in 2010 Nova Scotia anglers caught an estimated four million fish, of which they retained 1.6 million (40 per cent). This retention rate is the same as it was in the 2005 survey and compares to anglers keeping 45 per cent of their catch in 2000, 54 per cent in 1995, 63 per cent in 1990 and 82 per cent in 1985. An average of 70 fish were caught per angler in 2010 of which 28 were retained. Of freshwater species speckled (brook) trout were the preferred species by both resident, and non-resident anglers, this was followed by rainbow trout by residents and Atlantic salmon by non-residents. Smallmouth bass were the third most popular fish for residents and fifth for non-residents.
Sport fishing continues to be an important economic generator in the province. Nova Scotia anglers spent a total of $56.4 million directly on their sport in 2010. The average expenditure per angler on their sport in 2010 was $977.00. If you are interested in finding out more about sport fishing in Nova Scotia copies of the survey are available from the Inland Fisheries Division, Nova Scotia Dept. of Fisheries and Aquaculture, P.O. Box 700, Pictou, N.S. B0K 1H0, or may be viewed on their website at http://novascotia.ca/fish/documents/NS-Sportfishing-Survey.pdf
Sport fishing, an important industry which provides recreation and employment for a lot of people in Nova Scotia.
Don MacLean is an outdoor writer and biologist who lives in Pictou County.