America's Top Fishing State Has Over 8,000 Miles of Shoreline

"The EPA/NOAA Fisheries estimate the U.S. has 3.5 million miles of rivers and tributaries, while the NOAA claims America is home to 95,000 miles of shoreline. Using data from the U.S. FWS, 24/7 Wall St. identified the most popular fishing destinations in America. We ranked all 50 states on the number of paid fishing licenses, tags, permits, and stamps issued to visitors from out-of-state in 2022."

"Depending on the state, the number of fishing authorizations granted to out-of-staters in 2022 ranges from fewer than 900 to over 900,000. Freshwater fishing is far more common in the U.S. than saltwater fishing, and many of the lowest-ranking states on this list are located along the Atlantic or Pacific Coasts. These places include several New England and Mid-Atlantic States, as well as Hawaii, where fishing is not as strictly regulated, and in many cases, licenses and permits are not required."

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service data ranked all 50 states by paid fishing licenses, tags, permits, and stamps issued to out-of-state visitors in 2022. Out-of-state authorizations per state ranged from fewer than 900 to over 900,000. Freshwater fishing is far more common than saltwater fishing. Many lowest-ranking states lie along the Atlantic or Pacific coasts, including New England, Mid-Atlantic states, and Hawaii, where licenses and permits were often not required; since May 2, 2024, Hawaii requires a Nonresident Recreational Marine Fishing License. Several highest-ranking states combine extensive ocean or Great Lake coastlines with abundant inland freshwater, while some landlocked Western states like Colorado and Montana rank highly due to premier fly-fishing and high nonresident license sales.

Read at 24/7 Wall St.