Female Anglers Bring Significant Revenue Opportunities to the Fishing Industry

ALEXANDRIA, VA— On May 18, the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF), a non-profit, hyped the idea that female anglers pose a significant revenue opportunity for the fishing industry, according to new research conducted by RBFF and Southwick Associates, a fishing and wildlife consultant. The research was conducted to learn more about the financial impact of increasing female angler participation, and results found a 10 percent increase in women’s involvement in fishing, insinuating that this increase could provide an additional $1.0 billion in revenue for the sportfishing industry. This means each additional female participant is worth nearly $1,000 in annual income for the industry. “We know through research that recruiting and retaining female anglers is critical to growing fishing and boating participation overall,” said RBFF President and CEO Dave Chanda in the May 18 press release. “The bottom line is, increasing female fishing participation is also good for business, and the industry stands to benefit greatly from focusing more on this growing audience.” The research shows an opportunity to focus efforts geographically: Women in the South and Midwest regions spent around $3.5 billion each (over $7 billion total) on fishing. In the Midwest, female anglers spent an average of $1,106 annually. In the South, female anglers...