The mercury in the air affects our water and our lives. The lakes in Indiana are a vital economic resource. Mercury contamination in our lakes and rivers presents a serious threat to our economy. Freshwater sport fishing has an overall economic benefit of over $1.6 billion and supports over 40,000 jobs in Indiana (see Table 7).

Table 7:

Source -- The Economic Importance of Sport Fishing: American Sport Fishing Association

According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR), during the 1996-97 season, over 617,500 fishing and hunting/fishing combination licenses were sold in the state. Thousands of people are supporting and are supported by the fishing industry. Rods, reels, lures, clothes, boats, bait, and more add to expenditures that anglers produce. The tackle industry itself, according to American Sport Fishing Association, supports 2400 wholesalers and distributors, 6000 fishing tackle shops, 3800 sporting goods stores and more than 6000 other retailers nationwide.

"Americans have more reason than ever before to preserve and enhance fish habitat
—an effort that greatly benefits the country as a whole."¹⁰

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