Keith Lusher 10.30.24
Sportsmen across Florida will have some skin in the game on Nov 5 as an Amendment to declare hunting and fishing as a state constitutional right is on the ballot. The measure would provide a state constitutional right to hunt and fish and declare that hunting and fishing are the preferred means for “responsibly managing and controlling fish and wildlife” and “shall be preserved forever as a public right.”
Some consider Amendment 2 as a preemptive way to get ahead of a growing trend across the country to ban hunting and fishing. These bans were considered in at least a dozen states in 2022. The worst case was a ballot initiative in Oregon that would have criminalized fishing, hunting and farming. This radical proposal missed being added to the ballot in Oregon by only 20,000 signatures in 2022. So far, 23 states have passed a constitutional Right to Fish and Hunt amendment – Florida is not yet one of those states.
Martha Guyas is the Southeast Fisheries Policy Director for the American Sportfishing Association which is one of many organizations for Amendment 2. “Florida is an incredibly important state for the sportfishing industry and is considered the Fishing Capital of the World. Our state attracts more than 4.3 million anglers who make fishing in Florida an economic engine that contributes nearly $14 billion in economic output and supports more than 120,000 jobs.”
As of 2023, a total of 23 states had constitutional provisions that protected the right to hunt and fish. This right was first constitutionalized in Vermont in 1777, with 22 additional states following suit starting with Alabama in 1996. The most recent state to adopt such an amendment was Utah, where it was approved by 75% of voters in 2020.
Dave LeGear is an avid fisherman and owner and founder of Flats Nation, which is a popular online fishing magazine in Florida. LeGear is voting yes on the amendment and stresses that the ones who care the most about conservation are the people who participate in fishing and hunting. “The people closest to the land and water are generally those with the most significant concern for its sustainment and preservation versus those in far-off capitals and cities. Farmers and fishermen, hunters, and horticulturists have an affinity for taking care of what the good Lord has gifted us in a manner that distant bureaucracies can never match,” LeGear said.
Freshwater and saltwater fishing generate $13.8 billion in annual economic impact for the state and support 120,000 jobs. Hunting provides another $2 billion annual economic impact and supports 14,300 jobs.
Fishing and hunting are age-old traditions in many communities in Florida. In 2020, 273,000 citizens of Florida purchased hunting licenses, and another 1,327,971 Floridians purchased fishing licenses last year.
