AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - A new report says 49 percent of all Maine residents 16 and older hunted, fished or watched wildlife in the state in 2011, and that generated $1.4 billion spent on those activities.
The preliminary figures were released Friday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which compiles a report every five years that looks at participation in and expenditures for hunting, fishing and wildlife watching by state, region and nation.
The survey says 1.1 million residents and nonresidents did some sort of wildlife-associated activity in Maine last year. That includes 838,000 wildlife watchers, 341,000 anglers and 181,000 hunters. Together, they spent more than $1.4 billion.
Nationally, 38 percent of the U.S. population enjoyed some form of wildlife associated activity in 2011, spending a combined $145 billion on the activities.
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