In that bear referendum debate, and in its media coverage, there was scant attention paid to the economic stakes involved in the banning of traditional bear hunting. Bear hunting, like other forms of hunting in Maine, is more than a wildlife management tool; hunting, when you factor in the ripple effect, is a $363 million industry in this state — one we can ill afford to lose.

Source: Hunting for Works for Maine does indeed work for this outdoorsman, too | Sun Journal