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The findings, from the 2016 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, showed that 40 percent of the U.S. population age 16 or older — 101.6 million people — participated in one of these activities.

The numbers reflect "Our passion for wildlife and wild places, and the lengths to which we go to pursue that passion," the report stated.

Last year in San Diego, 145,600 people visited the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which provides a variety of outdoor recreation options, and educates visitors about the role of public lands, said Andy Yuen, project leader for refuge complex.

"The value of the wildlands and the refuge system is dependent on the public understanding and caring for their public lands," Yuen said Monday. "Hunting, fishing and wildlife observation are all key to raising people's awareness of the wildlands and public lands."

Wildlife watching and fishing have ticked up since the last report, while hunting declined since then.

The survey showed that wildlife-watching — observing and photographing wildlife — grew by 20 percent since 2011, from 71.8 million to 86 million participants in 2016. The number of anglers grew from 33.1 to 35.8 million during that time, while total hunters dropped from 13.7 to 11.5 million since 2011.

That activity generated jobs and business for companies catering to outdoor activity, while the sale of licenses and tags supports habitat conservation.

Birdwatchers and other observers spent $75.9 billion, up 28 percent from $59.1 billion in 2011, with nearly three-quarters of that going to equipment purchases.

For both hunting and fishing spending, equipment made up nearly half of spending of the sport. Anglers spent $46.1 billion in 2016, while hunters spent $35.6 billion, with almost half of that, in both cases, going to buying gear. Other spending included lodging, food, transportation and other travel expenses.

The national survey, conducted every five years since 1955, was based on interviews with 5,782 potential anglers and hunters, and 6,231 potential wildlife watchers, including 5,303 who fell into both categories.

More than 35.8 million Americans went fishing in 2016, while 11.5 million hunted and 86 million watched wildlife, either in their backyards, or in wildlands away from home. That means that about one in seven people fished, one in 20 hunted, and more than one in three watched birds and animals.

Also, the survey also found that 32 million people participated in target shooting, and 12.4 million engaged in archery.

Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke aims to increase participation in outdoor recreation by allowing more hunting and fishing on public lands, and adding mentored hunting programs at wildlife refuges, the service stated.

"This report absolutely underscores the need to increase public access to public lands across the United States," Zinke said in the statement. "Hunting and fishing are a part of the American heritage."

California is also trying to rebuild its outdoor sporting traditions, said Clark Blanchard a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

In California, hunting and fishing remained relatively stable between 2011 and 2016, with total fishing license sales rising slightly from 1.74 million to 1.79 million, while the sale of hunting licenses dropped marginally, from 282,266 in 2011 to 280,003 in 2016. However, Blanchard said that participation in both sports has plunged since their peaks in the last century.

"Generally speaking, hunter and angler numbers have fallen drastically since the 1970s, but have been holding steady since roughly 2010," Blanchard said.

Fishing dropped by 30 percent since its high tide in 1981, when 2.54 million anglers purchased California fishing licenses he said. And hunting plummeted by 64 percent since 1970, when 763,000 hunting licenses were sold. To address those drops, California is working to increase "recruitment, retention and reactivation" of hunters and anglers, Blanchard said.

The San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex offers fishing on the open waters of the south portion of the bay, Yuen said. And it plans to open hunting for upland game birds and deer at the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge, in the southeast portion of the county, near Jamul.

"This area is about 160 acres next to the Bureau of Land Management's Otay Mountain Wilderness, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Otay Lakes property," he said.

The refuge is also revamping its hiking trails to close redundant or unsafe paths, while adding new segments to connect hiking routes, he said.

Reports on wildlife recreation in individual states will be released in October, officials said.