Vol. 6, Issue 17 - Marine recreational fishing

What is marine recreational fishing?

Marine recreational fishing activities include saltwater recreational fishing trips and purchases of fishing-related durable equipment. The three saltwater recreational fishing modes include charter boats for-hire, private boats, and shore fishing. MarketMaker includes charter boats-for hire in its national online database under Tourism/Fishing charter. More than 1,000 charter boats for-hire are registered in MarketMaker, and 26 of these businesses are located in Mississippi. To view the online database of charter boats-for hire, please click this LINK.

Saltwater recreational fishing effort

More than 11 million anglers per year went recreational fishing in the marine waters of the United States. Excluding Texas (where data was not available), saltwater recreational anglers in the Gulf of Mexico States averaged more than 3 million per year. In Mississippi, the number of saltwater recreational anglers averaged 250,000 per year. Figure 1 shows the long-term trend in the total number of saltwater recreational anglers in Mississippi. This number includes recreational anglers from coastal and non-coastal areas and from out-of-state areas. Anglers from coastal areas of Mississippi averaged about 60 percent of the total number. Out-of-state anglers added 24 percent, while non-coastal Mississippi counties contributed 16 percent. Saltwater recreational anglers made more than 76 million fishing trips per year in marine waters of the United States. In the Gulf of Mexico States, saltwater recreational anglers went fishing more than 22 million trips per year. Recreational anglers made more than 1.2 million trips per year in the marine waters of Mississippi. Figure 2 shows the long-term trend in the number of recreational fishing trips in the marine waters of Mississippi. This number includes fishing trips made in shore, in private boats, and in charter boats for-hire.

Economic impacts of marine recreational fishing

Economic impacts from recreational fishing activities include impacts from fishing trips and expenditures on fishing-related durable equipment. The three fishing modes include charter boats for-hire, private boats, and shore fishing.

Output sales is the gross sales by businesses within the economic region affected by an activity. The total annual output impacts of marine recreational fishing in Mississippi since 2006 are shown in Figure 3 below:

Employment impacts are expressed in terms of a mix of both full-time and part-time jobs. The total annual employment impacts of marine recreational fishing in Mississippi are shown in Figure 4 below:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is MarketMaker?
MarketMaker is the largest and most in-depth database of its kind, featuring a diverse community of food-related businesses: buyers, farmers/ranchers, fisheries, farmers markets, processors/packers, wineries, restaurants, and more. MarketMaker provides simple yet powerful search tools to connect with others across the production and distribution chain (http://ms.foodmarketmaker.com/).

How do you register your food business in Mississippi MarketMaker?
Click Register and type your email address and a password in the spaces under Register. Be prepared to enter information (and pictures) about your business.

What are the benefits in registering your food business in Mississippi MarketMaker?
Producers register their businesses in MarketMaker because food buyers of all types access our database to find products and services to meet their specific needs. Through MarketMaker, producers can reach more buyers and more efficiently form profitable business alliances.

How do you search for your business profile in Mississippi MarketMaker?
Click Search and type the name of your business in the space under Search MarketMaker.

How do you update your business profile in Mississippi MarketMaker?
Click Register and then click UPDATE YOUR PROFILE. Type your email address and password in the spaces under Account Login. Be prepared to enter updated information (and pictures) about your business.

MarketMaker Training Workshops
This training workshop is available upon request by a group of 6-12 producers, extension agents, state regulatory agencies staff, and teachers. Each workshop will best fit the needs of the participants. Email Dr. Ben Posadas for details at ben.posadas@msstate.edu.

How do you search for local food businesses in Mississippi MarketMaker?
Click Search and type a keyword in the space under Search MarketMaker.

Where do you find the Market Research tool in MarketMaker?
Look for the Market Research section in MarketMaker and click Research your market now or Use previous version.