If it were a corporation, it would be among the Fortune 500 companies ahead of some heavy weights like Dow Chemical and Microsoft.

Fishing.  More than 35 million Americans like to fish and fishermen spend money -- lots of it.  Money spent fishing sends concentric rings outward through the economy, spreading the wealth to businesses often only tangentially related.  A recent economic study on the effects of trout fishing in the Southeast U.S. brings to light just how wide the rings go.

According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service economist Dr. Jim Caudill, expenditures by trout fishermen in the Southeast have a tremendous effect on local and regional economies. Over $107 million a year is spent directly on fishing, rising directly from six national fish hatcheries that produce trout.  That money in turn generates another $212 million a year in related spending.

"It's not just the bait dealer, it's the gas station owner, it's the hotel proprietor and restaurant owner that feel the effects of fishing,"said Dr. Caudill.  "There's a multiplier effect in the economy from an activity that is enjoyed by a good number of people."

Fishing is big business and money spent means jobs for people. According to Dr. Caudill, 2,800 jobs in the Southeast  -- a direct result of fishing for brown, brook, rainbow and cutthroat trout -- generate an annual payroll of $56 million.  But that's not just money in someone's pant pocket.  This spending puts money into state and county treasuries; $6.8million are collected each year in state sales and income taxes and another$5.4 million goes to federal income taxes.

of this economic activity, the spending of money, comes from what seems like an initial paltry investment of $2.1 million spent by the six national fish hatcheries to produce trout. "You can distill the effects even further," said Dr. Caudill.  "For each dollar spent producing trout at these six national fish hatcheries, it generates through the economy upward of $140 in economic effects. Attendant to that is another $7.85 in tax revenue.

"Trout fisheries in the Southeast are of recent vintage.  Dams built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Tennessee Valley Authority essentially converted the warm water bass and bream fisheries to cold water fisheries. The tailwaters below dams are cold given the water releases come from the bottom of the reservoirs.  Trout, which favor cold water, were the natural replacement.  Several of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's national fish hatcheries were created to meet the demand for trout fishing.

Erwin National Fish Hatchery in Tennessee is a brood stock hatchery.  It, along with Ennis and Saratoga national fish hatcheries in Montana and Wyoming, send live trout eggs to Greers Ferry (AR), Norfolk (AR), Dale Hollow (TN), Chattahoochee (GA), and Wolf Creek (KY) national fish hatcheries where the trout are grown out to catchable sizes and stocked over 10 southeastern states.The western U.S. doesn't have a lock on trout fishing.  Like NASCAR, grits, and fried chicken, trout fishing has become a part of life in the Southeast U.S.  And what's good for the soul -- recharging your batteries on the weekend trip with family -- is good for the cash registers.  Think of it as a mutual fund with a high return for the American people.     The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service operates 70 National Fish Hatcheries along with 64Fishery Resources Offices, nine Fish Health Centers, and seven Fish Technology Centers across the country.
Craig Springer 505/248-6867; craig_springer@fws.gov