Where does fishing Rank?

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Quick quiz: Rank the following common sports activities based on the number of participants in the U.S.

Fishing, hunting, bowling, billiards, tennis, swimming, golf, camping, exercise walking. The answers (according to the 2006 survey conducted by the National Sporting Goods Association, ages 7 and older):

Exercise walking (87.5 million, No. 1 out of 42 sports activities)

Swimming (56.5 million, No. 2)

Camping (48.6 million, No. 4)

Bowling (44.8 million, No. 5)

Fishing (40.6 million, No. 6)

Billiards (31.8 million, No. 11)

Hiking (31 million, No. 12)

Golf (24.4 million, No. 16)

Hunting/firearms (17.8 million, No. 17)

Tennis (10.4 million, No. 26)

If you pick out the outdoors figures, it’s pretty impressive. Camping and fishing are ranked No. 4 and 6, respectively, in the U.S. Bowling at No. 5? Well now, that’s a complete surprise.

I love numbers, statistics and facts. I can sit for hours paging through an almanac or other reference guide, and there aren’t many Sudoku puzzles I haven’t been able to solve.

I’m sort of geeky that way.

I’ve been enamored by the surveys and other data on the outdoors that have crossed my desk recently. Funny thing about this kind of data — they can say whatever you want them to say.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently released its survey on hunting, fishing and wildlife watching, which comes out every five years. It says there are 34 million sportsmen (hunters and anglers; many do both) over 16 years old in the U.S. That’s more than a niche group.

The American Sportfishing Association, a trade organization, determined that $45.3 billion in retail sales comes from the sport of fishing. That’s a lot of hooks, line and sinkers.

The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, which represents government agencies, concluded that the 136,000 non-residents who come to Georgia to hunt makes the Peach State the top hunting destination in the U.S. Those hunters spent $250 million in Georgia in 2006. That’s a substantial economic impact.

Survey results need to be taken with a grain of salt, however. Participation numbers in the USFWS survey include hunters and anglers regardless of whether they purchased licenses. Around 35 percent of U.S. anglers/hunters don’t buy the necessary licenses, permits or stamps, according to the survey. While some are not required to purchase a license (seniors, for instance), it’s a safe bet that some are breaking the law.

Fishing may be the sixth-most popular sport in the U.S., yet license sales and participation numbers fall nearly every year. There are more hunters than tennis players but far fewer than there used to be. Hunting and fishing participation has fallen around 8 percent since 1996, and the trend looks to continue.

Hunters and anglers should be happy to see that their participation numbers are among the highest in the U.S. But we also should be concerned about the downturn in participation and license sales.

The future is dependent on you. Share your passion with friends and family. Show them how to do it responsibly. Call or write your law-makers when an important issue arises. Join a wildlife group that shares your opinion.