Connecticut anglers and hunters contribute millions of dollars to conservation efforts each year, but the licensed pursuit of fish and game has declined over the past several decades, according to state reports.

Gov. Ned Lamont proclaimed Saturday Hunting and Fishing Day in the state. The public is invited to Black Rock State Park in Watertown from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for trout stocking in Black Rock Pond, fishing (with bait and equipment provided), displays, lessons and tours of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's new energy efficient Western District Headquarters building.

"Fishing and hunting have a rich tradition in Connecticut and are great ways for families to get out and enjoy the wonderful natural resources of our state," DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said. "Hunting and Fishing Day is a perfect occasion to celebrate the conservation projects that make hunting and fishing possible in the first place, such as land acquisition, habitat restoration and many other success stories funded by hunters and recreational anglers."

The state's 175,000 licensed hunters and anglers have helped preserve state wildlife through licensing fees and taxes paid on gear, contributing to Connecticut's $4.5 billion outdoor recreation economy. DEEP's Bureau of Natural Resources is funded, in part, by sportsmen and women, Lamont wrote in his proclamation, including $17,592,477 last fiscal year alone.

In the past five years, however, fees paid for all types of hunting and fishing licenses have fallen. Fees rose from $6,491,331 in 2019 to $7,291.652 in 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but slipped steadily over the next three years to $6,032,485 last year, according to state figures.

The most prominent game animal in the state is the white-tailed deer. The population peaked at about 152,000 in the early 2000s and steadily declined to about 110,000 currently. The state's 2023 Deer Program Summary lists 45,912 permits issued in 2020, falling to 41,219 permits last year. The tally of harvested deer was 10,443 in 2022, declining to 9,183 last year, a 12 percent decrease. However, the 2022 harvest was a 16.4 percent increase over 2021 and hunters spent about $1 million more on hunting gear in the same period, according to the 2022 deer report.

The number of deer hunting permits increased consistently from 1975 to 1992 and remained relatively stable from 1992 to 2009, but has been dropping since then every year except 2020, when a slight increase was likely due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to DEEP.

Overall, in 2023, shotgun/rifle hunters bought the most permits (37.7 percent), followed by archery hunters (36 percent), muzzleloader hunters (18 percent) and landowners (8.2 percent). Sixty-three percent of firearms deer permits were issued for use on private land; the remainder were for state-managed lands. During the 14th year that revolvers were allowed for deer hunting, 848 hunters took advantage last year, a decrease 906 the year before.

The number of freshwater and marine fishing licenses peaked at a total of about 200,000 annually in the late 1980s and early '90s, DEEP's supervising fisheries biologist Mike Beauchene said, but have since fallen to about 170,000. DEEP's Fisheries Division, whch runs three hatcheries, stocked 1,173,299 fish in various waters throughout the state last year. About half of those were fry and fingerlings and most of the remainder were catchable trout, Beauchene said.

"We have a great family-friendly event planned to celebrate Hunting and Fishing Day at Black Rock State Park," Fisheries Division Director Peter Aarrestad said. "I encourage everyone to join us on Saturday to learn more about the plentiful hunting and fishing opportunities available in our great state, whether you are an experienced outdoorsperson or someone who has never hunted or fished but is curious about how to get started."

Connecticut joins hunters and recreational anglers across the U.S. in celebrating National Hunting and Fishing Day and landmark federal conservation legislation such as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. These efforts to restore and safeguard fish and wildlife and their habitats are largely supported by funds from people who use fish and wildlife resources, a model widely recognized as the world's most successful wildlife conservation system, according to Connecticut DEEP.

Since 1937, excise taxes on equipment used for hunting, shooting, archery and recreational fishing and taxes on boating fuels paid by hunters, recreational shooters and anglers have generated about $25.5 billion nationally for wildlife, fisheries, and habitat conservation.