Over the past six years, outdoor recreation has seen a resurgence in Rhode Island, one of the few good things that came out of the COVID years. And while cycling and running lead the way, fishing has been holding its own ever since. In 2020, Rhode Island saw record fishing license sales, to the tune of over 57,000! That’s just over 5% of the 1.112 million Rhode-Islanders currently living in the state!
While those record numbers have fallen off slightly, 2024 saw another spike, registering 54,117 saltwater licenses, up 3.8% over 2023. Another interesting statistic was the increase in trips made by Rhode-Islanders, totaling nearly 4 million! The breakdown included angling mode, shore, boat and for-hire. Of the 3,923,972 trips estimated to have been taken within the waters of Rhode Island, the bulk of them were enjoyed from the shore or beach, totaling 2,343,014! Additionally, the top species caught by Rhode Island saltwater anglers were scup and black sea bass. Cod catches, fell off considerably.
You have to love seeing the license sales soaring in the country’s smallest state and all the business it brings to local tackle shops, charter boats and the rest of the state’s economy.
