* 3.7 million African Americans participate in fishing, an increase of nearly 1 million over the last 10 years.
* Hispanic Americans are participating at a new record of 4.4 million.
* Women are participating at an all-time high of 17.9 million.
* Overall, more than 50 million Americans participate, the highest number in 12 years.
* The activity gained more than 3 million new participants last year, the highest in five years.
This new participation data comes as Americans overall take increased interest in fishing as a remedy for COVID-19-related stress and anxiety. According to a separate study, 1 in 5 Americans are more likely now to try fishing than they were prior to the pandemic. Among parents, the statistic is 1 in 4.
"Social distancing has taken a sizable toll on our collective mental health," said Stephanie Vatalaro, senior vice president of RBFF marketing and communications. "But being on the water has been shown in studies to have a calming effect that can help treat stress and anxiety naturally. Fishing--and by extension, boating--are excellent ways to practice self-care and recreate responsibly."
While fishing is enjoying notable gains, the news from the outdoor-recreation front isn't all good amidst the global pandemic. The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) recently updated media with a call on the state of outdoor recreation. ORR recently surveyed its member trade associations, representing 100,000 businesses from RVing and camping to boating and fishing to hunting and biking businesses about the impacts their organizations and member companies have felt since the pandemic began.
According to the responses of the 20 participating national outdoor-recreation trade associations, representing businesses with nearly 2 million employees, the impact is startling:
* Of the businesses this survey represents, 89 percent are experiencing difficulty with production and distribution, with 68 percent experiencing significant impacts.
* 79 percent of these businesses have laid off or furloughed a portion of their workforce, with 11 percent closing, or laying off most or all of staff.
* 89 percent of outdoor-industry businesses are experiencing a decrease in sales, with 39 percent seeing a decrease of 50 to 75 percent or greater.
* 80 percent of outdoor-industry trade associations are seeing a decrease in revenue, with 30 percent seeing a decrease of 50 to 75 percent or greater.
As explained by Jessica Wahl, executive director at ORR, "We knew there have been tremendous impacts to our members and to the entire outdoor-recreation industry, but our survey results show the traumatic impact on every sector and to the heart of this once-thriving economic engine. Just a few short months ago, outdoor recreation was growing faster than almost any other industry, contributed more than 778 billion dollars to the U.S. economy, and employed more than 5.2 million Americans. To see that 79 percent of outdoor businesses have had to lay off or furlough employees, and that 89 percent are seeing decreased revenue is jaw-dropping."
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