Fishing, hunting and trapping is big business in Canada
The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) and the Canadian Sporting Arms and Ammunition Association (CSAAA), with support from 30 other organizations and companies, commissioned the Conference Board of Canada to quantify the overall economic footprint of fishing, hunting, trapping and sport shooting in Canada.
The resulting study determined that millions of Canadians participate in these activities, they spend billions of dollars, and they make an enormous impact on Canada’s economy.
Study highlights include:
- 2.97 million Canadians fish, 1.27 million hunt, 45,000 trap, 1.4 million participate in sport shooting
- $18.9 billion in total spending
- $13.2 billion to the Gross Domestic Product (0.6% of Canada’s economy)
- support nearly 107,000 jobs and labour income of $6.4 billion
- boosted federal and provincial tax revenue by $6.1 billion in 2018
“This study is long overdue. To our knowledge, this is the first time a credible and comprehensive analysis of all the activities relevant to the outdoors community has been completed at the national level,” says OFAH manager of fish and wildlife services, Matt DeMille.
The study report, The Economic Footprint of Angling, Hunting, Trapping and Sport Shooting in Canada, describes in detail the participation, spending, and overall economic impact for these activities at both the national and provincial/territorial levels.
To read the complete report, please visit www.ofah.org/economics.
“Fishing, hunting, trapping and sport shooting are often relegated to simply having heritage or recreation value,” explains DeMille. “This study confirms these activities have modern relevance to millions of Canadians, enormous economic value in Canada, and should get the government recognition and investment they deserve.”
With 100,000 members, subscribers and supporters, and 740-member clubs, the OFAH is the leading non-profit fishing, hunting and conservation-based organization in Ontario. For more information visit us online at www.ofah.org, follow us on Twitter @ofah and find us on Facebook or Instagram @theofah.
The Conference Board of Canada is the foremost independent, not-for-profit applied research organization in Canada.
Contact:
Matt DeMille, OFAH Manager of Fish and Wildlife Services
705-748-6324 ext. 249 or matt_demille@ofah.org
Shawn Cayley, OFAH Manager of Communications
705-748-6324 ext. 270 or shawn_cayley@ofah.org