Fishing measures the number of fishing license holders in each watershed. Recreational fishing helps support local economies and encourages environmental stewardship by helping people connect with and value nature. While it does not necessarily mean people are staying within the watershed for fishing, it provides a general indicator of recreational fishing enthusiasm in these watersheds.
How is it scored?
This indicator was scored by comparing the number of fishing licenses in a zip code tabulation area (ZCTA) to the 75th percentile for all of Michigan. A ZCTA was scored a 100% if it was equal to or above the 75th percentile. For ZCTAs below the 75th percentile, scores were calculated as
The proportion of a ZTCA’s area within a watershed was multiplied by its population to calculate a population weight. The population weight was multiplied by the ZCTA score and summed to calculate a watershed score. Watershed scores were population weighted to calculate an overall region score.
Data source: The Michigan Department of Natural Resources provided fishing license data at the zip code level from 2013–2021. We used the most recent available data (2021) for this analysis.