Economic Impacts Of Hunting, Fishing And Wildlife Watching In Colorado

This report modeled the economic impacts of wildlife-related activities in Colorado in 2001 and 2002. While hunting and fishing are often considered a large part of the tourism economy, this report indicates that wildlife watching also contributes significantly to the economy.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife commissioned BBC Research & Consulting to create a model estimating the economic impacts of hunting, fishing and wildlife watching in Colorado. In 2002, hunting and fishing contributed an estimated $1.5 billion to the economy and supported around 20,000 jobs. However, the total economic impact of hunting and fishing appeared lower in 2002 than it was in 1996.

The economic impact of wildlife watching was estimated at $940 million in 2001, and supported 13,000 jobs. The authors caution that it may be difficult to directly compare the economic impact of wildlife watching with hunting and fishing, as wildlife watching is often paired with other activities.

The link below will being an automatic download of a PDF of this report.