The 2014 survey is conducted by the Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center with funding from the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission through the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources.
From January 2011 to June 2013, there were 2,154 Mississippi Lifetime Sportsman Licenses issued. by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. All of these license holders will be contacted by mail and email to request their participation in this survey.
Postcards were sent to the 2,154 Mississippi lifetime sportsmen in February 2014 in order to verfiy their mailing addresses and inform them of the forthcoming survey. The mail and online surveys will be conducted from April to October 2014. Toward the end of the project, a thank you postcard will be sent to all lifetime sportsmen.
The Mississippi Lifetime Sportsman License (MLSL) allows holders to hunt and/or fish during a legal season and to take any game or fish, except waterfowl, without the purchase of additional license or permits unless required by law. The Lifetime Sportsman License allows fishermen to take fish, crabs, oysters, shrimp, and any other saltwater fish authorized to be taken under recreational permit.
The results of this survey will provide primary information on the past and future saltwater fishing preferences of the holders of the Lifetime Sportsman Licenses.
This fishing information can be added to the annual marine recreational fishing licenses issued by the state. Due to the nature of the MLSL, these sportsmen are not covered by the annual licensing process for saltwater recreational fishing.
Saltwater recreational fishing created an economic impact of about $417 million or 0.45% of the gross state product of Mississippi in 2009. The economic sector provided jobs to 3,188 workers and also provided more than $105 million in personal income in 2009.
The number of Mississippi lifetime sportsmen who purchased the license from 1989 to 2013 is shown below.
The description of the 2011-2012 Lifetime Sportsman Survey can be viewed by clicking this link.