Churn rates, or the percentage of anglers not renewing their licenses the next year, have averaged just under 50 for the past 10 years, according to the grant-funded license dashboard

This Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service (CFDA 15.628 Multistate Conservation Grant Program) provides $147,587 to the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) to conduct research on reducing "churn rates" - the high percentage of anglers who do not renew their fishing licenses each year. The project will survey anglers who purchased licenses in 2022 but did not renew in 2023 to understand their reasons and preferences, in order to identify strategies for improving license renewal and increasing participation in recreational fishing. The results will be shared broadly with state agencies, non-profits, and the sportfishing industry to enhance the effectiveness of their license renewal and marketing efforts, ultimately increasing fishing license sales and excise tax revenues. This work supports the Multistate Conservation Grant Program's goal of strengthening wildlife conservation and outdoor recreation across the United States.

Even the pandemic did not notably reduce churn rates, meaning we lose nearly half our anglers each year, with replacements coming from new anglers and those returning from previous years. Reducing this drop-out rate will result in significantly increased license sales and excise tax revenues.using state license sales data and top-level data security and analytical procedures, this project will identify and focus on anglers who bought in 2022, but dropped out in 2023.we will survey them to learn why they fished, what they liked and disliked, which recreational activities they engage in instead of fishing, the reasons why these activities are preferred, the problems encountered when fishing and possible solutions, the need for mentoring support, optimal message imagery support tactics we can field to win them back, and more. Results will be shared widely with all states and fishing non-profits as well as industry, working in close cooperation with recreational boating and fishing foundation and state R3 professionals. The results will allow the R3 community, including sportfishing businesses as well as states and non-profits, to increase the effectiveness of their license renewal and marketing efforts.