A Review of the Benefits and Safety of Our Traditional Outdoor Sports
- Economic Impact of Sport Fishing and Hunting
- Safety Statistics
- Safety of Non-Hunters
- Sportsmen Help Maintain Healthy Fish and Wildlife
Populations
- Sportsmen Have tremendous Political Clout
Overview
New Jersey is a densely populated, highly developed state. Yet we enjoy a surprising wealth and diversity of fish and wildlife. Much of this wealth can be attributed to careful management by dedicated professionals in the Division of Fish and Wildlife, and to strong support by sportsmen.
NJ sportsmen spend almost $1.2 billion per year, and support over 25,000 jobs. but our contributions go largely unnoticed by the general public. This page is intended to demonstrate the beneficial impact of sportsmen on the economy, the environment, and on wildlife management. It also touches upon safety for both hunters and non-hunters.
As the tables demonstrate, hunting and fishing generate tremendous economic activity in New Jersey and throughout the US. According to the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation (2):
- If hunting and fishing were a corporation, it would
rank 10th on the Fortune 500 list, ahead of AT&T and
Philip Morris.
- Sportsmen support more jobs than twice the number of
workers employed by WalMart, the largest Fortune 500
employer.
- Tax revenues generated by sportsmen exceed the box
office total of all United States movie theaters or
better yet the combined box office earnings of the
all-time top ten grossing films.
- Federal tax revenues generated by sportsmen could pay for the combined budgets of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Endangered Species appropriation, Bureau of Land Management, National Biological Service, and National Park Service. For two years.
Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration
Sometimes referred to as the Pittman-Robertson Program, Wildlife Restoration is a 65-year old program based on an 11% excise tax that is paid by manufacturers on sporting firearms and ammunition, 10% on handguns, and 12% on archery equipment. The cost of the taxes is passed on to hunters and recreational shooters in the price of these items. The funds are dedicated to wildlife restoration projects, such as acquiring land, wildlife management, hunter education and shooting ranges. In 1999 alone, a total of $165,353,469 was apportioned to states fish and wildlife agencies under the Wildlife Restoration Program. (3)
Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration
Sometimes referred to as the Dingell-Johnson Program, and more recently the Wallop-Breaux Program, this is a 52-year old program based on a 10% excise tax that is paid by manufacturers on sport fishing tackle such as rods, reels, and lures. Also included in the program is a 3% excise tax on electric trolling motors and fish finders, as well as a dedicated portion of the existing motorboat fuel. The cost of the taxes is passed on to anglers and boaters in the price of these items. The funds are dedicated to sport fishing projects such as building and operating hatcheries, stocking fish, education, maintaining dam structures and building boat ramps and piers. For 1999 alone, a total of $212,429,143 was distributed to states under the Sport Fish Restoration Program. (3)
Safety of Hunting
Hunting has been demonstrated to be far safer than many common sporting and recreational activities. Here's a few National Safety Council statistics for 1999:
Hunters must take a safety course and pass a written test before they can obtain a license. Separate safety courses and tests are required in New Jersey before one can obtain a license to hunt with a shotgun, rifle, or bow.
Safety of Non-Hunters
Based upon 1999 National Safety Council data, a non-hunter is 45 times more likely to be killed by a bolt of lightening than by a hunter's bullet. Average lightening deaths, 90 per year, average non-hunter deaths in hunting incidents, less than 2 per year. (4)
The record for bow hunting is better still. In the 40+ years of bow hunting in New Jersey, there has not been a single recorded incident of an archer injuring a non-hunter. (5)
Another safety consideration for non-hunters - A deer on the highway is an obvious hazard. According to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, more people are killed by deer each year nationwide through highway collisions than in hunting-related shooting incidents. In New York alone, about 1,000 people are injured and more than 2 die in 60,000-70,000 deer-related highway accidents each year. (4) By reducing the deerr herd, hunters help reduce the hazard to drivers.
Sportsmen Help Maintain Healthy Wildlife Populations
State and federal wildlife management agencies set season lengths and bag limits. They're carefully designed to achieve wildlife populations that meet the biological or cultural carrying capacity. Licensed sportsmen implement the agencies' harvest objectives, and pay for the privilege.
Where hunting isn't allowed, wildlife populations can grow beyond biological or cultural carrying capacities. This is most frequently evidenced by whitetailed deer, in areas like Princeton Township, where hunting is severely restricted. Over-browsing in these areas causes extensive ecological damage by clearing the understory growth required by many other species. Damage to crops and landscaping is substantial. Deer-auto collisions are high. Seeking relief, these areas have resorted to "culls", where a company is paid to kill the deer at a cost of as much as $300-$400 per head. Taxpayers foot the bill.
Sport fishermen are strong advocates for the protection of fisheries and water quality. The Jersey Coast Anglers Association, an NJSFSC member organization, has been a major force behind reductions in ocean dumping, and in protections for threatened species including the striped bass and menhaden, an important forage fish.
The JCAA holds annual fishing tournaments and dinners that raise funds to improve access and enhance fishing opportunities for the general public. The Handicapped Access project at Island Beach State has provided special wheelchairs that allow handicapped individuals with the ability to navigate the sand so they too can enjoy a day at the beach, and extended access ramps from parking areas to the waters edge, further expanding access for the handicapped.
The JCAA holds annual fishing tournaments and dinners that raise funds to improve access and enhance fishing opportunities for the general public. The Handicapped Access project at Island Beach State has provided special wheelchairs that allow handicapped individuals with the ability to navigate the sand so they too can enjoy a day at the beach, and extended access ramps from parking areas to the waters edge, further expanding access for the handicapped.
Political Clout
Nationwide, twice as many people who hunt or fish than receive Social Security. There are more sportsmen than labor union members. If every sportsman voted in the 1996 presidential election, sportsmen would have equaled 43% of the vote(2). So sportsmen are a potentially significant political force. As the threats against hunting and fishing increase, sportsmen will become more active to protect their interests. Sportsmen's organizations encourage each sportsman to exercise his right to vote, and help muster the tremendous collective influence available to us.
Managing For The Future
NJ's Division of Fish and Wildlife uses the best scientific management practices to achieve ecological diversity and healthy populations of fish, game, and non-game species. Wildlife and natural resources can not be effectively by politics, anti's, or by commercial interests. Cases in point; black bears in northern NJ; whitetailed deer in Princeton Township; menhaden, porgies, whiting and many more exploited species off the Jersey Shore. Much of the funding for the Division comes from sportsmen rather than taxpayers. But all New Jersey residents enjoy the benefits.
Conclusion
The facts and figures support the goals of New Jersey Sportsmen:
- To let our professional fish and wildlife managers
objectively employ sound science and economics to
perpetuate healthy, balanced populations of all species.
- To protect clean air and water, threatened open
spaces and wildlife habitat.
- To preserve our traditional outdoor sports for future generations.
Something to add?
We know there are many more facts and figures out there to support our conclusion. If you'd like to contribute to this summary, please Contact Us
Sources
- Hunting Statistics and Economics
The US Fish and Wildlife Service sponsors a National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation every five years. The questions are developed in concert with technical committee members from every state and with representatives of nongovernmental organizations. The last survey was conducted in 2006. The final report for 2006 will be issued in late 2007.
http://www.fws.gov/hunting/huntstat.html - "The Dollars and Sense of Hunting and Fishing", by
Melinda Gable, Executive Director
Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation. http://www.sportsmenslink.org/sportsmensi/010201.html - "Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Facts",
International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies,
12/02/99 http://www.restorewildlife.org/press/download/Facts%20At-A-Glance.doc
- New York Department of Environmental Conservation
http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/sportsed/hrsi-flyer2001.pdf - Telephone Inquiry - New Jersey Division of Fish and
Wildlife, March 7, 2002
- "1999 Governor's Report on Deer Management in New
Jersey", New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife,
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/govdrrpt.pdf
