The photograph here is of the Indian River Lagoon Scenic Highway on Melbourne Beach, showing the inlet and pier. If tourism officials want to attract more anglers, this could be a great, untouched image of just one part of our state that is very good for saltwater fishing.
Think of all the places in the scene that would be good for catching different species: on, near, or under the bridge; along the sandy beach; on the pier; near one of the islands beyond the bridge; in Indian Lagoon itself.
State officials rightly claim that “Florida is the Fishing Capital of the World” – and with good reason. The state has over 7,700 lakes, 10,500 miles of rivers, and 2,276 miles of tidal shoreline. Every five years the U.S. Census Bureau conducts a state-by-state survey of outdoor recreational activities, including fishing. The latest results, which are from the 2011 survey, show why anglers really like our state.
Each year, over 3 million fishermen fish our waters for a total of 57 million days of fishing. The total expenditures for the fishermen: a staggering $4,629,202,000, i.e. almost $5 billion. Of that, they spent almost $3 billion on trips and almost $2 billion on equipment.
Each year and one can assume that the numbers will keep rising each year, over 3 million residents and non-residents 16 years and older fished in Florida waters. Of that total, 1.9 million anglers were state residents, and 1.2 million were non-residents. Those fishermen spent $900 million on food and lodging, and each angler spent an average of $906 on trip-related costs in 2011. And that was the year when gas was about $3/gallon, significantly higher than today’s prices.
Florida remains the Fishing Capital of the World because of our abundant resources, including an amazing variety of fish species, as well as year-round sunny weather and many officials who are determined to keep our fish stocks healthy.
Anglers spent an average of 19 days fishing. So, if you haven’t done your 19 days of fishing yet this year, you have eight months left to do your part.
Kevin McCarthy, the author of “South Florida Waterways” (2013 – available at amazon.com for $7), can be reached at ceyhankevin@gmail.com.