Characterizing marine recreation in the United States: a national study

From 2012 to 2013, NOAA Fisheries Service conducted a national study to better understand participation levels in and spending associated with ocean recreation activities in the United States. A survey questionnaire was... [ view full abstract ]

From 2012 to 2013, NOAA Fisheries Service conducted a national study to better understand participation levels in and spending associated with ocean recreation activities in the United States. A survey questionnaire was developed and programmed online, then sent to a sample of households who were participants on an existing web-enabled research panel. Residents from all 50 states and the District of Columbia were sampled in each of six, two-month waves. The sampling design allowed for recreation estimates at the regional and national levels. There were eight ocean recreation categories of interest: recreational finfishing; recreational shellfishing; hunting waterfowl or other animals; viewing or photographing the ocean and wildlife; beachcombing and tidepooling; water contact sports such as swimming and surfing; boating and related activities such as water skiing and wake boarding; and outdoor activities not involving water contact such as beach volleyball and coastal walking. The resulting dataset allows for estimates of annual participation in a broad suite of ocean activities, the number of ocean and coastal recreation-related visits, total spending associated with ocean recreation, and demographic characteristics of ocean recreators. This talk will provide more details about this national data collection and highlight some of the results.