Funding Sources
In the United States, two principle funding sources emerged in the early and mid-20th century that have been the bedrock for funding conservation and connecting people with nature— the Wildlife Restoration Act and the Sport Fish Restoration Act. This system has been referred to as the American System of Conservation funding and it combines manufacturer federal excise taxes on firearms, ammunition, archery, and angling equipment, and fuel, with license, permit and stamp fees paid by the public who hunt, fish, trap, target shoot or other select activities. These funds collectively are designated for the administration of state fish and wildlife agency programs and provide funding for various types of conservation, public access, safety, education, and habitat initiatives. This web page provides funding data related to these two conservation Acts, that to date have provided over $71 billion in funding to state fish and wildlife agencies. Other important grant programs exist, but none have the same longevity, consistency, and significance of these two programs.
Apportionments Data
State and territorial fish and wildlife agencies are allocated funding annually, the amounts apportioned per statutory formulas as follows: Wildlife Restoration funds are formulated on the geographic size of the state or territory (50 percent of square miles and inland waters) and their number of hunting licenses sold compared to the total nationally.
Sport Fish Restoration funds are formulated on 40 percent of the state’s size in square miles and 60 percent on the number of fishing licenses sold. No state or territory receives more than five percent, nor less that one to one-half of one percent of the total funds available nationally.
State and territory fish and wildlife agencies apply to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for grants for eligible activities under the Wildlife Restoration Act (Pittman-Robertson) and the Sport Fish Restoration Act (Dingell-Johnson) and associated regulations governing use of the funds. Historic apportionment data are available in the dashboard by year, by state or territory, and by nominal or inflation-adjusted dollars.
The State Wildlife Grant Program funds apportionment is based on the formula specified in annual appropriations acts. One-third of the formula is based on each State’s land area as a proportion of the land area of all States. Two-thirds of the formula is based on each State’s population as a proportion of the population of all States. Annual appropriations acts also specify the following: the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico receive not more than one-half of one percent of the total program funding.
Wildlife Restoration Apportionments
The Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937 and subsequent amendments placed a federal manufacturers’ federal excise tax on firearms, ammunition and archery equipment. These funds are eligible to state and territorial fish and wildlife agencies for public hunting access, hunter education, wildlife management and research, R3 related activities, and the development, operation, and maintenance of target ranges. This law is unique and is essential to the conservation, management and enhancement of wildlife and their habitats, and to provide safe hunting access in the United States for current and future generations.
Sport Fish Restoration Apportionments
The Sport Fish Restoration Act of 1950 placed a manufacturers’ federal excise tax on fishing equipment and the 1984 Wallop-Breaux amendment captured a portion of the federal gasoline excise tax attributable to motorboats by a formula based on boat registrations. These funds are eligible to state and territorial fish and wildlife agencies for sport fish management and conservation, raising and stocking fish, habitat protection and enhancement, education, and constructing and maintaining fishing and boating access. This law is unique and is essential to the conservation, management and enhancement of sport fisheries and their habitats, and to provide angling and boating access in the United States for current and future generations.
State Wildlife Grant Apportionments
The State Wildlife Grant Program is funded through an annual General Appropriation to support fish and wildlife agencies’ conservation measures that are found in each states’ Wildlife Action Plan related to “species of greatest conservation need”. Created in 2005, state Wildlife Action Plans are required to participate in the State Wildlife Grant program and must be updated every 10 years.
Hunting & Fishing Licenses Data
State fish and wildlife agencies require licenses to fish or hunt. Those licenses must meet a minimum cost per statutory formula to apportion funds in the Sport Fish Restoration and the Wildlife Restoration programs. However, not everyone buys a license; depending on the state or territory, youth, seniors, handicapped, commercial charters, landowners, and military veterans may be exempt. Thus, the dashboard of historic fishing and hunting license data does not represent the entirety of those who fished or hunted in a particular year. Moreover, some hunters and anglers buy licenses in multiple states and not every license buyer goes afield.
Hunting Licenses, Holders, and Costs by Apportionment Year
View or download total unadjusted actual and total inflation adjusted of hunting or fishing licenses, holders, and costs by apportionment year visit the Data QuickSight page. Please note that the apportionment year is two years after states issued licenses, so costs and number of license holders for 2021 represent license sales that occurred in 2019.
Fishing Licenses, Holders, and Costs by Apportionment Year
View or download total unadjusted actual and total inflation adjusted of hunting or fishing licenses, holders, and costs by apportionment year visit the Data QuickSight page. Please note that the apportionment year is two years after states issued licenses, so costs and number of license holders for 2021 represent license sales that occurred in 2019.
