Press Releases

ALEXANDRIA, VA (April 18, 2007) – A new study being released today by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) provides insight about the relationship between boating and fishing. The marketing research, conducted by Market Strategies, Inc., evaluated three market segments - Boater Only (those who currently participate in boating but not fishing), Angler Only (those who currently participate in fishing but not boating), and Boater + Angler or “Boating Angler” (those who currently participate in both boating and fishing). Two key findings were revealed: (1) Promoting both boating and fishing is good for the market and (2) Fishing is a strong pathway to boating. The national telephone survey of about 1,000 people also collected data about early experiences with fishing and boating, current activities, fishing license sales and more.

“We know that fishing motivates many people to get out on the water in a boat. We also know that half of all boats sold are used primarily for fishing, with another quarter for occasional fishing,” said NMMA President and RBFF Board Chairman Thom Dammrich. “These two activities and their futures are strongly linked and RBFF has done a terrific job in getting its boating and fishing stakeholders to work together to create a brighter future for both.”  

“We want to help our stakeholders increase participation in boating and fishing,” said RBFF President Frank Peterson. “This is a comprehensive study with a lot of great data. Stakeholders can use it to their advantage by focusing on the analysis that’s most important to their organization and pulling out the key findings and implications.”

KEY FINDINGS

Promoting Both Boating & Fishing is Good for the Market
RBFF’s marketing research shows that promoting both boating and fishing is good for the market. Boating Anglers fish significantly more frequently than those who only fish (41.7 times compared to 21.6 times in the last 24 months) and they boat more frequently than those who only boat (27.5 times compared to 11.9 times in the last 24 months). Boating Anglers also enjoy boating for both recreation and fishing with a majority (84.6%) having gone boating for the purpose of fishing at least once in the past 12 months and a majority (84.4%) having also gone boating for recreational purposes.

Boating Anglers spend more money on fishing equipment and boating accessories ($500 or more each year) compared to those who only fish or only boat and they are significantly more likely to own a boat (54.3%) compared to those who only fish (27%) or only boat (25.8%).

Boating Anglers who don’t currently own a boat represent a greater potential for boat sales compared to those who only fish or only boat, and are more likely to report that how they look at the environment was influenced by their fishing and boating experiences.

Fishing is a Pathway to Both Fishing and Boating
A second key finding reveals the directional relationship is stronger for fishing as a pathway to boating than for boating as a pathway to fishing. Nearly half of Boating Anglers (44.9%) said that fishing influenced their decision to get involved in boating and the reason they purchased their first boat was to fish (67.7%). By contrast, less than one third (30.4%) of Boating Anglers said that boating influenced their decision to get involved in fishing.

More than half of Boating Anglers (51.3%) said they first participated in fishing, while only 14.9% said they first participated in boating. Boating Anglers also say they spend more time fishing (45.1%) than boating (27.6%) and they fish more frequently than they boat.

For Boating Anglers, fishing is the most popular activity to do while boating with 74.9% saying they fish while on their boat, followed by cruising or sightseeing (61.1%), participating in water sports (45.9%), and participating in paddle sports (24.2%).

The majority of Boating Anglers (87.5%) who own a boat say they would still fish if they didn’t own a boat. More Boating Anglers identify with being an angler (49.6%) than with being a boater (22.6%) and when given the choice of participating in one activity or the other, Boating Anglers chose fishing (63.5%) over boating (36.5%).

ADDITIONAL FINDINGS

Marketing Opportunity

• Anglers Only are significantly more likely to be interested in fishing from a boat compared to Boaters Only.  41.8% of Anglers Only said that they were “very” or “extremely” interested in fishing from a boat compared to 12.5% of Boaters Only. 
• Anglers Only who are not interested in fishing from a boat report their lack of interest as being attributable to being afraid of the water (18.5%), having other hobbies or interests that they enjoy more than fishing from a boat (13.4%), and thinking fishing from a boat is boring (10.9%).
• Boaters Only who are not interested in fishing from a boat report their lack of interest as being attributable to thinking fishing from a boat is boring (37.0%), not having enough time to fish from a boat (16.1%), and having other hobbies or interests that they enjoy more than fishing from a boat (11.6%).  

Early Fishing Experiences

• Boating Anglers and Anglers Only were introduced to fishing at an average age of 8.4 and 9.2, respectively, and both were introduced to fishing primarily through family members.  A majority (84.9%) of Boaters Only went fishing as a child and became introduced to fishing at an average age of 7.1 years and, similar to the other market segments, was introduced to fishing primarily through family.

Early Boating Experiences

• Boating Anglers and Boaters Only who were introduced to boating at an average age of 13.7 years and were introduced to boating primarily through family; however, friends played a stronger role in the introductory boating experiences when compared to the early fishing experience.  More than half (59.1%) of Anglers Only went boating as a child and became introduced to boating at an average age of 8.7 years and, similar to the other market segments, family played an important role and friends played more of a role than when compared to fishing.
• Almost half (44.6%) Boating Anglers and Boaters Only reported that when they first went boating the primary activity was to fish (44.6%) followed by to cruise / sightsee (26.6%) and to do water sports (21.8%). 

Current Fishing and Boating Activities

• Almost two thirds (63.8%) of Boating Anglers and Boaters Only boat with their families the most followed by friends (30.5%).  Similarly, 63.0% of Boating Anglers and Anglers Only fish with their families the most followed by friends (25.8%).
• For Boaters Only cruising / sightseeing (71.1%) is the most popular activity done while boating followed by water skiing / water sports (42.7%), paddle sports (25.6%), and fishing (18.5%).

Boat Ownership

• 39.9% of Boating Anglers, Anglers Only, and Boaters Only own a boat.
• 45.8% of those who currently own a boat report that they had previously owned a boat.  And 36.6% of Boating Anglers own a second boat as do 26% of Anglers Only and 34% of Boaters Only.
• Nearly half (48.4%) of those Boating Anglers and Boaters Only who do not currently own a boat report having access to a boat through family and 42.4% report having access to a boat through friends.  One in ten (9.6%) rent a boat.
• Of those that do not currently own a boat many (75.2%) have never owned a boat.  The primary reason for never having owned a boat was cost (33.6%) followed by not wanting to buy a boat (22.2%) and having access to a boat through family or friends (13%).
• Those Boating Anglers, Anglers Only and Boaters Only who have ever owned a boat were an average of 26.8 years old when they purchased their first boat and many (72.6%) purchased their first boat used. 

Fishing License

• Nearly two thirds (62.7%) of Boating Anglers and Anglers Only currently own a fishing license. 
• Of those Boating Anglers and Anglers Only who currently own a fishing license, most (96.6%) plan to renew their fishing licenses.  Interestingly, Anglers Only who do not own a boat are significantly more likely to report that they plan to renew the license when compared to those who do own a boat. 

Environment

• More than half (59.7%) of Boating Anglers, Anglers Only, and Boaters Only report that their fishing and boating experiences were important in influencing how they look at the environment.

The full study, in addition to the focus group results, a “Quick Facts” document and PowerPoint presentation of topline results is available to view or download.

About RBFF
RBFF is a nonprofit organization established in 1998 to increase participation in recreational angling and boating. RBFF helps people discover, share and protect the legacy of boating and fishing through national outreach programs including the Take Me Fishing™ and Anglers’ Legacy campaigns.

For more information contact Stephanie West at (703) 519-0013, ext. 105 or swest@rbff.org.

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