IV-192 



It is not possible to estimate the total expenditures for sport 

 fishermen in Rhode Island, for no reliable data are available 

 from which to estimate their number. What is significant, however, 

 is that a great many people engage in it, and that it is a 

 relatively low-cost outdoors activity within the means of many. 



Waterfowl Hunting 



In addition to commercial fisheries, Narragansett Bay is an impor- 

 tant feeding and resting area for migratory waterfowl. The Bay is 

 considered to be a relatively large unit of high quality migration 

 and wintering habitat. The major species using the area include 

 many highly desirable game birds. 



No formal data are available on the number of hunting trips that 

 were made annually by each purchaser of waterfowl stamps. Based 

 on data from other northeastern States and considering the water- 

 fowl counts and hunting regulations, it is estimated that each 

 hunter made about 3.5 trips per year on the average. Bag checks 

 by Rhode Island conservation officers indicate an average kill of 

 0.56 birds per trip. For 1968 it is calculated that 2,507 hunters 

 making 8,774 trips shot a total of 4,900 birds. 



Skin and Scuba Diving 



The popularity of this activity in Narragansett Bay has been 

 greatly enhanced by the natural advantages which are not present 

 in the adjacent coastal areas. The Bay's ocean-front shoreline 



