Report Shows Diversity in Anglers

The 2019 Special Report on Fishing, released by the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) indicates that America’s anglers are diverse with both women and Hispanics casting their lines in record-breaking numbers, with 17.7 million and 4.4 million participants, respectively.

“It’s often assumed that all anglers look alike,” said Stephanie Vatalaro, RBFF’s senior vice president of Marketing and Communications. “Our mission is to welcome everyone to the water — because if you want to learn to fish, you should have that opportunity no matter who you are. And while our work isn’t over, it’s clear from these results that the tides are changing.”

In addition to record-breaking diversity, other highlights from the Special Report on Fishing include:

• 49.4 million Americans participate in fishing annually.
• Americans go fishing a cumulative 883 million days annually, or 17.9 days each year per person.
• More non-anglers than ever, 33.9 million people, are interested in trying fishing.
• Parents are 45 percent more likely to go fishing than adults without children.
• More than 3 in 4 anglers view fishing’s environmental benefits as one reason they participate in the activity.

The RBFF, a nonprofit working to increase participation in recreational boating and fishing, created the report in partnership with The Outdoor Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring and growing future generations of outdoor enthusiasts. The full report, along with an accompanying infographic, is available at the RBFF Resource Center.