LAKEPORT >> The University of California Cooperative Extension Lake County has released a report profiling the economic value of fishing on Clear Lake highlighting the importance of angling to the local economy.
“Freshwater fishing in California represents a $1.4 billion industry generating 22,000 jobs, and providing more than $920 million in salaries and wages,” the report’s author, Greg Giusti, said. “California ranks fifth in the nation based on the value of fishing economics.”
According to the report, California annually collects more than $50 million in license sales with more than 150,000 potential anglers within a day’s drive of Clear Lake.
“Though not everyone in the surrounding counties fish Clear Lake regularly, all that is needed to fish is a license,” Giusti said. “There’s nothing keeping anglers coming here to fish if they should hear a positive fishing report.”
Contrary to popular belief the most attractive boating months on Clear Lake are between March and June. Giusti used the County’s Quagga Mussel sticker sales to show that anglers are concentrating their efforts during the pre-spawn and spawning months. He added “Most folks think of summer as the height of the boating season on Clear Lake. The data clearly shows that anglers are the biggest users of the Lake during the spring months.”
The data also shows that starting in September boating activity begins to increase until November as anglers are targeting fish before the winter months.
“The fishing community fully recognizes the gem that is Clear Lake,” Giusti pointed out. “There are consistently more than 100 fishing tournaments a year on the Lake.”
Though not all of the tournaments are large, the report points out that regardless of the number of boats registered in a tournament each boat represents potential economic value as boaters need fuel, food and sometimes lodging while in the county.
Using a formula estimating angler expenditures combined with the spring month’s mussel sticker sales, the report estimates that the spring months conservatively generate $100,000 a month in local angling related expenditures. Yet the numbers may not tell the full story.
“Given the lack of solid data to determine daily fishing pressure on the Lake, any estimates of total angling related expenditures have to be considered extremely conservative,” Giusti explained. “Access to Clear Lake is open and free. Currently, the mussel sticker sales only tell us that a boat entered the lake only once a month. An angler can come and go several times a month, for several days at a time and there is no accounting of this activity.”
Local residents only have to purchase an annual mussel inspection sticker further limiting the available information on local use of the Lake.
Though limited, those who fish from boats or in tournaments provide some information of people coming to fish the Lake. Those who fish from shore are not required to report their activities.
“This past spring literally hundreds of people came to Clear Lake from throughout California to fish for Crappie,” Giusti said. “I talked with people from Fresno, the Bay Area, and south of Sacramento who heard about the crappie bite and traveled to be part of the action.”
The internet has changed how anglers share information. According to Giusti the information age hastens awareness of fishing action, as well as the response.
“Once the word got out, people began showing up in droves to fish for Crappie,” he said.
Still the numbers remain imprecise. There is no way to account for how many people came to the County and how much they added to the local economy as there are currently no active programs counting anglers or their efforts.
Even with the lack of information Giusti claims fishing on Clear Lake is “easily a million dollar industry annually.”
“I’m sure the estimate is inaccurate as the true value of fishing on Clear Lake could be several times what we estimated,” he added. “We have very little information to go on”.
The report goes on to suggest ways to better improve gathering information on angler demographics and activities to help develop a more accurate accounting of fishing on Clear Lake.
The report is available for free download on the UC Clear Lake Aquatic web page: http://ucanr.edu/sites/ClearLakeAquaticWebsite/. A free hard copy can be obtained by calling the UC Cooperative Extension office in Lakeport at 263-6838.
