Recreational fishing activity is having a sizeable impact on the New England and the U.S. economies, according to a new report. Federal regulators have just come out with the first ever economic survey of bait and tackle shops.
The study published by NOAA Fisheries, found that independent saltwater fishing bait and tackle retail stores in America's 23 coastal states sold about $850 million worth of equipment in 2013, contributing a total of $2.3 billion to the national economy.
NOAA research analyst Clifford Hutt say the sector also sustained 16,000 full and part-time jobs, and boosted the New England region's economy.
"In New England we saw there were about $94 million in sales, having about 200 million in total impacts to the New England economy," Hutt says.
Hutt says the study provides the federal agency with a good baseline for assessing the impact of future policy decisions.