W.Va.'s Sporting Economy

Both The Register-Herald of Beckley and the News and Sentinel of Parkersburg have takes on a new report that ranks West Virginia 16th for the hunting and fishing component of its economy.

"More than 25,000 jobs are directly supported by West Virginia hunters and anglers, the report said, which produced $491 million in paychecks," the Beckley article said. "This also results in big benefits to state and local coffers with another $172 million generated through taxes."

The Parkersburg paper noted the report's comparison that "Sportsmen support twice as many jobs in West Virginia as the Ruby Day Surgery Center in Morgantown and the Charleston Area Medical Center combined (25,000 jobs vs. 11,000)."