A recently released summary of recreational fishing statistics from NOAA Fisheries provides an insight into the popularity of recreational fishing in the Mid Atlantic region.
Mid-Atlantic Recreational Fishing Statistics Highlights:
In 2015 2 million anglers took 12.4 million fishing trips in the Mid-Atlantic spending $3.5 billion on trips and durable goods.
Nearly two thirds (63%) of all recreational fishing trips in the Mid-Atlantic targeted 10 popular recreational species:
summer flounder
striped bass
bluefish
Atlantic croaker
black sea bass
tautog
scup (porgies)
spot
weakfish
winter flounder.
2015 Total Catch (numbers of fish harvested + released):
summer flounder 10,866,000
Atlantic croaker 7,973,000
striped bass 6,358,000
black sea bass 6,332,000
scup (porgies) 4,251,000
bluefish 4,247,000
spot 2,241,00
tautog 2,101,000
weakfish 547,000
winter flounder 29,000
Mid-Atlantic Recreational Fishing Trips:
11% For Hire
49% Private
40% Shore