The economic value of fishing competitions in Finland–insights from an online survey

Competitive fishing events are organised competitions between anglers who fish for incentives that range from monetary and in-kind prizes to accolades and public acclaim. The scale of the phenomenon is globally notable, but their local economic impacts are not fully understood. Anglers often spend large amounts of money during competitions. In this study, we present the results from surveyed Finnish angling competition participants and their monetary expenses. The survey data reveal that fishing competition participants spend, on average, approximately €276 (S.D. = 217.5) per person per day on overnight competition trips, with travel and accommodation expenses making up the main share of the total costs. Interesting differences in expense patterns are detected between experiential angler segments. We reject the hypothesis of a simple linear correlation between income and angling competition expenditures. Overall, the study shows that angling competitions can be significant revenue generators with important direct and indirect impacts on the local economy of communities organising the tournaments.