News
Angling, News
August 14, 2025
Beneath the Atlantic surface, concrete pyramids, stripped subway cars, and massive steel skeletons of vessels lie purposefully placed across the ocean floor repurposed into bustling undersea metropolises. These are artificial reefs, human-made sanctuaries giving new life to marine ecosystems and new opportunities for anglers.
Firearms & Ammunition, Multistate Conservation, News, R3
August 6, 2025
In a world where attention spans are short and the world is moving faster than ever, there's still something grounding about nocking an arrow or steadying a shotgun at a target. Target shooting is more than a pastime, it is a connection to discipline, community, and the outdoors. Yet, this pastime takes a concerted effort of recruiting new participants, retaining those already involved, and reactivating those who’ve set their gear aside.
Management, News, Trapping
July 28, 2025
Once a familiar sight across America’s waterways, river otters dwindled across much of their native range by the mid-20th century. Today, cleaner waterways, conservation professionals supported by Pittman-Robertson funds, and an evolving understanding of resource management has allowed river otters to reclaim their place in ecosystems.
Angling, News
June 27, 2025
Six feet in length and tipping the scales at over 200 pounds, adult lake sturgeon once swam the tributaries of the Great Lakes in great seasonal spawning migrations—prehistoric giants returning home. A century ago, rivers ran thick with them. But their numbers fell as water fouled, dams rose, and populations were overfished.
Angling
June 6, 2025
Hawaiʻi is a space where culture, nature, and sustainability are woven together. At the heart of this connection is the ancient Hawaiian concept of living pono — a word that translates to righteous or proper. In the context of fishing, pono is a way of life that speaks to a deep responsibility to respect and protect natural resources that have nourished the islands for generations. Across the Hawaiian Islands, Sport Fish Restoration funds are being used to support fisheries and foster the principles of pono fishing.
Angling
June 6, 2025
This year, the Sport Fish Restoration Act turns 75. This milestone marks three-quarters of a century ensuring that sport fish populations and aquatic habitats are healthy, sustainable, and accessible for all. No other funding method has had the same longevity, consistency, and significance for fisheries management in the United States.
R3, Trapping
May 13, 2025
Trapping is about more than catching furbearer animals, the centuries-old pursuit is also about understanding ecosystems, practicing conservation, and preserving knowledge that has been used to keep landscapes in balance. Trapping practices continue being passed down through generations and today a growing number of new outdoor enthusiasts are taking an interest in the pursuit. Many newcomers are getting involved in trapping through workshops and courses hosted by state fish and wildlife agencies.
Angling, Education, R3
May 2, 2025
The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center (TFFC) in Athens, Texas, is a hub of aquatic education, fish production, and conservation in the Lone Star State. Since opening in 1996, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) facility has drawn over 1.1 million visitors, offering an in-depth look at the diverse world of Texas’ freshwater ecosystems and how state agencies manage fisheries resources.
Angling, Management
April 11, 2025
Cutthroat trout are the only trout native to Utah, but not that long ago the state’s iconic cutthroats were in jeopardy of disappearing. Thanks to conservation measures supported in part by Sport Fish Restoration funds, Utah’s four cutthroat subspecies have made a remarkable comeback.
Angling, Management
April 3, 2025
Muskie are commonly thought of as a fish of the North, the Great Lakes states, reservoirs and mid to large streams in the Ohio and upper Mississippi river basins. And North Carolina, well not so much—unless you live and fish there.
Archery, Firearms & Ammunition
March 11, 2025
Thanks to a change in data collection methodology new to the 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife Associated Recreation, we can dive into data on target shooters for the first time since the Survey started in 1955. The hot off the press addendum, Target Shooting in the United States, reports that 47 million firearms and 19 million archery target shooters aged six and older fired or flung projectiles in 2021. You’ll notice that both of those numbers make the hunting population look small. Shooting sports are alive and well, and there are some particularly interesting insights when it comes to youth.
Archery, Firearms & Ammunition
February 20, 2025
Fishing, boating, birding, and hunting in the United States, each by themselves, are an economic powerhouse for the American people. All these outdoor pursuits are enjoyed by millions over a broad range of household incomes and ages and other demographic characteristics.