Survey Says (5)

Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Stock the rivers with steelhead trout and that guy will drop some serious cash trying to catch them. Ohio Sea Grant, an organization that looks out for the state's aquatic health, discovered that anglers looking to hook steelhead trout spent roughly $26 during each one-day trip within 10 miles of their fishing spot. The seven-month study, generated from interviews with 375 fishermen between October 2002 and April 2003, was conducted to determine whether the economic benefits of stocking local rivers with steelhead trout outweigh the cost. The average fisherman reported 44 excursions a year with 1.33 fish caught per trip, while 88 percent said they release what they hook. "Considering the average cost to stock steelhead is approximately $1.44 per fish, the benefits certainly outweigh the costs," observes Ohio Sea Grant district specialist Dave Kelch.