IN the results of a new study conducted in Canada’s British Columbia, recreational fishing has been found to contribute as much to the economy as commercial fishing, aquaculture and fish processing combined.
According to the Vancouver Sun the report estimates rec fishing contributed a whopping $936 million in 2011 to the overall B.C. fisheries and aquaculture sector revenue of $2.2 billion. That equates to a $325 million contribution to gross domestic product from the recreational sub-sector — not including spending on angling gear, boats and other vehicles — compared to $340 million in combined GDP from the commercial, aquaculture and fish processing sub-sectors including commercial boats and gear.
Within British Columbia’s recreational fishery, saltwater activity accounts for just over half of GDP with the remainder going to angling in lakes and streams.
Employment across the entire sector reached 13,900, 8,400 of whom worked in recreational fishing.
