USFWS National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that it will soon be conducting the 12th National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation.

The survey is conducted every five years, polling American hunters, anglers and other wildlife enthusiasts. The survey provides important statistics about hunting, fishing and wildlife-watching in all 50 states.

The information is collected by the U.S. Census Bureau, primarily through telephone interviews to be conducted April to June and September to October in 2011, and January to March in 2012.

As part of the survey, outdoor stakeholders will be asked about their participation and expenditures in several categories of wildlife-associated recreation. The results will be available in a national report and in 50 individual state reports.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, participation is voluntary and all responses are strictly confidential. Data collected is used for statistical purposes only and no participant can be identified from information contained in the database and follow-up reports.

Sampling is to include 19,000 anglers and hunters and 10,000 wildlife watchers (wildlife photographers, feeders, and observers).

Preliminary survey findings will be available in the spring of 2012. Final reports will be issued beginning in the fall of 2012. The reports, when completed, will be available on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website.

source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service