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CONSERVATION CORNER
(For the week of February 4, 2008)
Hunting, Fishing Have Major Impact on State's Economy
by James L. Cummins

Hunting and fishing are well-known traditions in Mississippi. What may not be as well-known is the dramatic impact these activities have on our state's economy.

According to Senator Roger Wicker, a member of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, "A recent report produced by the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation indicates that hunting and fishing provide a boost of more than $860 million in Mississippi, supporting jobs and generating tax revenues."

The state-by-state report puts the number of Mississippians who call themselves hunters and fishermen at 537,000 and notes that their activities support 17,000 jobs in our state. That provides an estimated $363 million in payroll and generates more than $93 million in taxes for localities and the state treasury. The report said, "These latest figures demonstrate that season after season, hunters and anglers are driving the economy from big businesses to rural towns, through booms and recessions."

Mississippians spend more than $110 million annually just on outboard boats and engines to get out on the water and around the marshes for fishing and hunting. When expenditures for equipment, supplies, and clothing are factored in, the impact grows dramatically. The overall stimulus for the state's economy has been estimated at $2.3 million per day.

According to Wicker, "To put this impact into more perspective, the findings indicate that sportsmen and sportswomen support more jobs in Mississippi than the state's two largest employers. Throughout Mississippi, these activities employ more people than Northrup Grumman Ship Systems and Nissan America combined. Mississippi anglers and hunters spend more each year than the cash receipts for the state's second and third largest commodities, cotton and soybeans."

On the national level, if a single corporation grossed as much as hunters and anglers spend, it would be among America's largest. Sportsmen number an estimated 34 million nationwide and spent more than $76 billion in 2006 on outdoor activities. The report notes that such activity benefits manufacturers of hunting- and fishing-related products in addition to mom and pop businesses and wildlife conservation efforts.

The Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, of which Mississippi's entire Washington delegation are members, works closely with Wildlife Mississippi on issues affecting hunting and fishing.

"We have been successful in funding conservation programs and advancing initiatives to strengthen outdoor traditions that had their beginnings in Colonial times and have been passed down from generation to generation," concluded Wicker.