U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
The Economic Value of
By Bryan Arroyo
Since 1871, the Fisheries Program
of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
has been a leader in managing species,
conserving habitat and sustaining the
richest and most
diverse on Earth
to the health and
wealth of our
scientific, aesthetic, recreational,
commercial, subsistence, social,
This report highlights $3.6 billion
in annual contributions to the U.S.
economy by the Fisheries Program and
many partners: states, tribes, NGOs
and private organizations.
How big is $3.6 billion?
A company with $3.6 billion in
annual profits would rank No. 41 on the
Fortune 500 List of America’s Most
Profitable Corporations. That’s just
behind retailer CVS Pharmacies and
Verizon, but ahead of the grocery
commerce. Money changing hands
translates to industry; $903 million in
industrial output results from angling
for fish originating in the National Fish
create more than
68,000 jobs in a
is the essence of
conservation, looking out on the long-horizon.
This economic report lends a
well-documented perspective that
conservation is a commodity good for
fish and for people.
Think about it—the Total
Economic Contribution of the National
Fisheries Program: $3.6 billion
annually. That’s $70 million a week—
$10 million a day.
The return on investment is
Bryan Arroyo is the Assistant
Director for Fisheries and Habitat
Conservation in Washington, DC.
AMERICA’S AQUATIC GOODS AND SERVICES
ON THE COVER: The “net worth”
of the Gila trout is measured in
myriad ways—by scientists,
anglers, and economists. This fish
was an endangered species, closed
to angling for over 50 years.
Dedicated conservationists brought
it back from the brink in 2006. Once
staring into the dark abyss of
extinction, the fish is now sought by
a following of anglers. Through
conservation, the Gila trout now
contributes to the economy,
generating time on the water, and
the spending associated with it, in
Arizona and New Mexico.
This report is based on “Conserving
America’s Fisheries, An
Assessment of Economic
Contributions from Fisheries and
Aquatic Resource Conservation,” a
41-page peer-reviewed report
prepared by Joseph Charbonneau,
Ph.D., and James Caudill, Ph.D.
and published by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service’s Division of
To receive additional copies of this
report or more information, contact:
Mr. Michael DeRosa
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service -
4401 North Fairfax Drive
Arlington, VA 22203
Supporting 68,000 Jobs
A total of 68,000 American jobs are
attributable to the economic
contribution of the National
Fisheries Program. If all 68,000 of
these jobs were part of a single
company, its workforce numbers
would closely match that of these
large U.S. companies: Merck; State
Farm Insurance; Whirlpool;
Comcast; and Boeing.
Imagine a business investment that annually
returns 28 times its initial investment.
America’s National Fisheries Program does.
dollar budgeted for
generates $28 in
generated can be
seen at sporting
and outfitter services; bait shops, gas stations, cafes, hotels,
wildlife watching tour businesses and many other
enterprises that exist for, or benefit from, the National
Fisheries Program and its many partners.
MAJOR PAYOFFS USFWS
Recreational Angling Resulting from National
Fish Hatchery Stocking Programs Generates:
in retail sales
in industrial output
in federal tax revenues
in local tax revenues
Species in Peril
Despite efforts to conserve fish and other
aquatic resources, a growing number of
species are declining. The Endangered
Species List includes 139 fish, 70 mussel, 25
amphibian and 22 crustacean species.
Here’s a sample of relevant Fisheries
imperiled species at
species held in
refugia are valued by
the public at $456
Healthy Habitat, Healthy Economy
Restoring or enhancing habitat is an
essential function of the Fisheries
Program. Healthy habitats ensure good
fishing, and protect homes, businesses,
and roads from damaging floods. The
National Fish Passage Program and
National Fish Habitat Action Plan are
key components in habitat management.
Working with partners, an annual
average of 890 miles of river habitat re-opened
to fish passage has a value of $483
million when in full productivity, and with
it an estimated 11,000 jobs. That exceeds
a value of $542,000 per stream mile.
razorback sucker to
indigenous rivers in
Mexico, Arizona and
source pollution that
threatens six rare
mussel populations in
the Chipola River
Basin in Florida.
passage for pallid
and the navigation
channel of the lower
Types of Projects: Restore, enhance
and protect habitat; restore in-stream
flows and fish migration, monitor habitat
Example: Worked with Eglin Air
Force Base in Florida to remove dams and
other barriers to restore critical passage
for the Okaloosa darter. Fisheries
Program dollars were matched almost 5:1
with funding from partners.
Types of Projects: Recover
threatened and endangered species,
develop and implement fishery
management plans, restore native species,
control nuisance species.
Example: Worked with state, federal
and Tribal resource agencies to recover
once-endangered Apache trout in Arizona.
The species is now abundant enough to
support recreational fishing.
Cooperation with States
Types of Projects: Develop
recreational fishing opportunities,
mitigation of federal water developments,
stocking fish in conjunction with state
Example: Stocked 9 million rainbow
trout; each taxpayer dollar spent
generated $32.20 in angler retail sales.
Cooperation with Tribes
Types of Projects: Provide technical
assistance, training, job opportunities for
Tribal members and fish for stocking on
Example: Restore coho salmon in the
Waatch River for subsistence fishing on
the Makah Reservation in Washington.
Nationally, fish populations managed for
subsistence have a minimum replacement
value of $301 million.
Science and Technology
Types of Projects: Conduct Wild Fish
Health Surveys, lead advancements in
diagnostics, nutrition, genetics,
propagation and marking.
Example: Work with aquaculture
industry and agencies to monitor, manage
and contain pathogens that could have
detrimental impacts on fish populations
and associated economic benefits.
MAKING IT HAPPEN
Fisheries Program professionals, facilities and partners work
together in five core areas:
The Fisheries Program
generates major economic
benefits nationally and in
Removed passage barriers to
conserve habitat and help
sustain salmon runs in south-central
Alaska. Local anglers
spent $989 million and
generated $91 million in state
and local taxes.
Provided public fishing access
at Desoto National Wildlife
Refuge. Desoto Lake receives
26,000 angling visits per year,
generating $1.3 million in
annual economic benefit for
western Iowa and eastern
Helped restore recreational
angling for Atlantic salmon
and other species by
removing a dam and restoring
fish passage in Souhegan
River in New Hampshire.
Utilized national fish
hatcheries in Arkansas,
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,
Mississippi, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Tennessee
and Louisiana to rear and
release 22.3 million sport fish
in 12 southeastern states.
Anglers responded with 3.2
million days of fishing, generating $239 million in economic
output and supporting 3,100 jobs.
Reared and released
Gulf Coast striped bass
to help restore a
recreational fishery in
Louisiana. This effort
generated 3,000 angler
days and $425,000 in
local economic benefits.
populations to help
minimize impacts on
sport species. This
of $556 million and
habitat for lake
sturgeon, walleye and
other sportfish by
providing fish passage
to reconnect habitats on
both sides of Heiberg
Dam in Minnesota.
Reared and released 12
million Chinook salmon
to support commercial
fisheries in northern
California. In the
alone, salmon fishing is
valued at over $100
Hold in refugia a unique strain of Lahontan cutthroat trout
extirpated from Lake Tahoe in the 1930s. This trout will be
the centerpiece of a reintroduction program in several
fisheries in Nevada.
Aside from its $3.6 billion total economic impact and associated 68,000
jobs on a national scale, the Fisheries Program brings direct benefits
to Main Street, America.
With dozens of conservation offices, hatcheries, labs, health, and
technology centers -- and more that 800 dedicated professionals -- the
program's facilities and its employees are a significant economic force
themselves, where they live and work. The Fisheries Program's local
economic impact translates to 5,692 jobs that stem from wages,
supplies, and services rendered at Fisheries facilities, making a
difference in hometowns across the country.
MAKING AN IMPACT
Inflation takes a toll
Budget increases for the Fisheries Program have not kept
pace with inflation. In fact, in constant dollars, the
nominally higher appropriation in 2008 was actually lower
than the 2004 appropriation.
MORE Previous pages of this report have highlighted
the monetary value of Fisheries Program work to
maintain and improve America’s aquatic assets.
Statistics show strong economic performance —
every $1 invested by taxpayers translates to $28 in
economic impact. Facts, figures and examples
illustrate the program’s $3.6 billion in annual
contributions to the U.S. economy.
But the Fisheries Program also contributes
value in ways that can’t be computed.
What’s the real worth of a parent’s joy in
introducing their son or daughter to fishing? Or a
youngster’s thrill as a bobber plunges beneath the
What’s the real worth of citizens’ satisfaction in
knowing local waters are clean enough to support
America has always been socially and culturally
tied to its lands and waters, its wildlife and fish.
Even in today’s modern world, with so many
distractions from traditional outdoor lifestyles,
surveys show most Americans still care deeply
about the health and wellbeing of nature.
Since 1871 — 30 years before Roosevelt
became President — the Fisheries Program of the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been working to
turn over our nation’s aquatic resources to the next
generation increased, and not impaired, in value.
With adequate funding, this stewardship can
grow to fit the needs of America’s future.
“The nation behaves well if it
treats natural resources as assets
which it must turn over to the
next generation increased, and
not impaired in value.”
re•turn on in•vest•ment (ri-turn awn in-vest-muh-nt) noun
1. A performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of
an investment or to compare the efficiency of a number of
different investments. To calculate ROI, the benefit (return) of
an investment is divided by the cost of the investment; the
result is expressed as a percentage or a ratio.
D E F I N I T I O N
AMERICAN JOBS ATTRIBUTABLE TO
THE ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION OF
THE NATIONAL FISHERIES PROGRAM
TOTAL ECONOMIC IMPACT OF TAX
DOLLARS INVESTED INTO NATIONAL
ECONOMIC RETURNS GENERATED PER
TAX DOLLAR INVESTED INTO
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
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