Florida collects approximately 8 million dollars each year from the sale of freshwater fishing licenses. Forty percent of this amount comes from nonresidents who pay higher fees. About 1.5 million dollars is collected annually for hunting licenses, but only 10 percent of these fees are obtained from nonresidents. The state levies fees on freshwater commercial fishermen as well but normally collects only around 750,000 dollars each year. Trapping licenses generate under 10,000 dollars annually.
More recently the state has begun to license saltwater fishing off its coasts. These fees amount to 15 million dollars annually. Approximately 25 percent of all saltwater licenses are sold to nonresidents. The state requires a special license for crawfish (spiny lobster), snook, and tarpon. Almost half the crawfish licenses are issued in Dade and Monroe counties. Almost one-third of all snook licenses are issued in Dade, Monroe, Collier, and Lee counties, while 60 percent of all tarpon licenses are obtained in Charlotte and Pinellas counties.
Hunting is concentrated in north Florida, where there are extensive national and state forests, as well as millions of acres of commercial tree farms. Within these forests are deer, wild turkey, and other game animals. Bear is also hunted, but the season is short and the state carefully monitors the number killed.
Freshwater fishing is far more widely distributed than hunting. Game fish abound in lakes, rivers, and streams throughout the state. Okeechobee County has a particularly high per capita sale of freshwater fishing licenses because of nearby Lake Okeechobee.
