Videos
Sport Fish Restoration Funding
Sport Fish Restoration funding plays a vital role in sustaining partnerships that support our angling and boating communities. Through the Sport Fish Restoration Act, manufacturers contribute by paying a federal excise tax on fishing equipment. This funding ensures that U.S. waterways remain healthy and accessible for future generations, helping preserve the resources that make fishing and boating possible.
Protecting Fish and Wildlife Health in the United States
The health and well-being of our nation’s fish and wildlife populations are a continual priority. Thanks to our unique conservation funding system established through both the Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson Acts, state and territorial fish and wildlife agencies monitor current diseases and act upon emerging threats. This core work contributes to our own health and well-being and would not be as robust without the manufacturers who fund conservation and those professionals who manage our nation’s natural resources with that funding.
Target Ranges
Last summer, Minnesota hosted the world’s largest trap shooting championship with more than 340 high schools teams participating and representing over 7,900 student athletes in attendance. All competitors from a school compete on the same team and follow the same rules, allowing all genders and adaptive athletes to compete on the same “playing field.”
Facilities Tour: Ruger and Patriot Ordnance
The Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program join Ruger and Patriot Ordnance to see firearms manufacturing up close, and to show how the funding generated by these products gets used on the ground at Arizona’s world-class Ben Avery Shooting Facility. Video produced by the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
How Do Excise Taxes Benefit Hunter Education
The Clark County Shooting Complex is a partnership shooting facility between the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) and Clark County. It is open to the public and used for hunter education programs. This shooting range facility would not be possible without federal excise taxes paid by manufacturers of firearms and ammunition and distributed through the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program.
Opportunity and Access in Kentucky
The funding that comes from the Sport Fish Restoration Act plays a critical role in developing and enhancing opportunities for anglers and boaters nationwide. Through Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation (R3) projects, the aim is to increase opportunities and participation in angling, hunting, and target shooting. Check out this video highlighting Sport Fish Restoration work led by KDFWR staff to discover how these initiatives not only promote engagement but also ensure the sustainability of fish and wildlife conservation efforts.
Collaboration in Kentucky
Lead by KDFWR staff and hosted by Pitman Creek Wholesale in Stanford, KY, this video footage includes state agency biologists conducting sport fish management field work and illustrating the importance of Sport Fish Restoration funding in benefiting fisheries resources and opportunities in Kentucky and beyond.
Industry Investing in Conservation
Manufacturers like SIG SAUER play a vital role in wildlife conservation in the United States. Through the federal excise tax program, manufacturers help fund state and federal conservation efforts and support healthy habitat and wildlife populations for all citizens to benefit from.
Waterways for All
Did you know?
Clean water, healthy fisheries, and public access to recreational boating
opportunities is made possible by the Sport Fish Restoration Program. Funded
through manufacturers, the program uniquely benefits all parties — conservationists, fishermen, and the
industry.
Black Bear Den Visit
Join the Partner with a Payer initiative and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) on a virtual research visit to a black bear den and learn how Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration funding helps to study and manage this species all over North America.
Conservation of the American Black Bear
Staff members from T/C arms and the NSSF joined biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and MassWildlife to see conservation science in action. Research on black bears is paid for by Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration funds, which are the result of federal excise taxes on the sale of firearms, ammunition, archery and fishing equipment, and motorboat fuel. Video produced by Thompson/Center with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Conserving Black Bears in Connecticut with Colt
Colt joined biologists from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Wildlife and Sportfish Restoration Program to learn about the black bear conservation funded by the 10% and 11% federal excise tax on the manufacture of firearms and ammunition. Video produced by Colt, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Conservation Success at the Crossroads of Collaboration
Through the Wildlife Restoration Act, manufacturers of archery equipment play a pivotal role in the American model of conservation funding by helping support healthy wildlife populations, the development of new target shooting ranges, and other various conservation projects through an 11% federal excise tax. Over the summer, employees from Ten Point Archery met with Ohio DNR, NSSF, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services to further strengthen partnerships and develop a better understanding of their role in conservation throughout the United States.
The Currency of Conservation
Archery manufacturers pay federal excise taxes under the Wildlife Restoration Act which are then distributed to state fish and wildlife agencies to fund conservation work throughout the country. Hear from federal, state, and industry staff about why these products are essentially the “Currency of Conservation.”
Elk Restoration in the Eastern United States
After being absent a century or more, elk have been restored to the eastern United States. With sweat-equity investments of dedicated wildlife biologists and conservation groups, and the reliable and consistent conservation funding made possible by the Wildlife Restoration Act (Pittman-Robertson), state fish and wildlife agencies in eight states now manage robust herds of elk. Virginia this year instituted its first modern regulated elk hunt in decades.
Conservation Partnerships
Produced by the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program (WSFR), this cinematic video highlights how the Sport Fish Restoration partnerships among industry and state and federal agencies have aided in the conservation of bass and provided outstanding bass fisheries and public access across the United States. This film creates an awareness of the Sport Fish Restoration Program partnerships and the opportunities for anglers and boaters that are made possible by federal excise taxes on angling equipment and fuel.
Hidden Opportunities
Across the United States, Wildlife Management Areas have provided public access to land that is operated and maintained as a result of funding from two sources including federal excise taxes paid by companies that manufacture sporting arms, ammunition, archery equipment, and fishing gear as well as state licenses, permits and stamp revenues paid by hunters, trappers, and anglers.
Osprey Restoration
Learn about what is being done to revitalize and improve wildlife habitat and resources for osprey in the United States. Firearm and ammunition manufacturers and importers fund these conservation efforts by paying federal excise taxes established by the Wildlife Restoration Act (also known as the Pittman-Robertson Act).
Sport Fish Restoration in Florida: Partner with a Payer
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) released a new video that emphasizes the crucial role excise taxes play in Sport Fish Restoration funds to support conservation efforts. In partnership with private industry partners like Florida company, Mud Hole Custom Tackle, the Sport Fish Restoration grant program serves as a cornerstone in supporting fisheries conservation, boating access and angler education throughout the state.
Key to Success
Whether you’re an avid hunter or you simply enjoy spending time outdoors, everyone benefits from the partnership between firearm and ammunition manufacturers, state fish and wildlife agencies, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The manufacturers who pay federal excise taxes provide vital services such as habitat management, hunter education, improving or maintaining public target shooting ranges, and wildlife conservation programs. In Georgia alone, the program has supported the management of over 50,000 acres of wildlife.
Building Our Partnerships
Employees from Taurus USA met with Georgia DNR, NSSF, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to strengthen partnerships and gain a better understanding of the mutually beneficial roles they fill as part of the American model of conservation funding. The federal excise taxes they pay are distributed to federal and state agencies to support wildlife resource management, increase public hunting opportunities, and improve public target shooting ranges.
Sustainability in Conservation
For more than half a century, America’s fishing equipment manufacturers have shared a partnership with state and federal agencies through the Dingell-Johnson Act. Hear from the industry, state, and federal partners that support conservation about the steelhead restoration work being accomplished in the northeast produced through this irreplaceable industry-paid and agency-implemented federal excise tax funding.
Sporting Arms and Ammunition
An incredible model of conservation funding that benefits all Americans, not just hunters and target shooters, and helps ensure sustainable wildlife and habitat for future generations is made possible thanks to the commitment of Federal Ammunition staff as well as other industry partners.
Wildlife Health Labs
Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration funds are protecting the health of our nation’s fish and wildlife, by funding over 35 laboratories conducting disease surveillance and response. Thanks to American industries that pay the federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition, state and federal fish and wildlife agencies are supported in their efforts to restore and manage wildlife and their habitat.
St. Croix Rods Reels in Big Bucks for Conservation
Only one year separates St. Croix Rod, founded in 1951, and the Sport Fish Restoration Act of 1950. Both are enduring fixtures in commerce and conservation. Fly rods, spinning rods, bait casters—their production and the federal excise tax paid by the company puts money into the hands of state fishery management agencies, paying for essential boats, electrofishers, PFDs, scale readers, salaries, and more.
Conservation Made Possible in Missouri
This summer, USFWS staff and manufacturer Fiocchi of America Inc. near Ozark toured MDC’s Andy Dalton Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center near Ash Grove. The tour emphasized conservation benefits that are products of the partnerships between manufacturers who pay federal excise taxes through the WSFR program and state conservation agencies that are on the receiving end of these funds.
Pennsylvania Partnerships
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission manages sport fish and maintains or creates new boating and angler access through a three-way partnership dating back to 1950. Learn how federal excise taxes paid by the tackle and boating industries shape conservation and outdoor recreation alongside the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Commission.
Tried and True and Proven.
“Tried and true and proven.” That’s the take-home message of this Partner with a Payer video that highlights the success of the Sport Fish Restoration Act in South Carolina. This video was produced through a Multistate Conservation Grant and showcases the irreplaceable industry-paid federal excise taxes that yield science-based fisheries management and increased angler-boater access.
Partner With A Payer
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service and state fish and wildlife agencies have partnered with industry for more than 90 years to make conservation happen. Partner with a Payer makes this relationship even stronger: watch this 45-second video and join us!
Power of Partnership
Learn about the resulting benefits produced by this irreplaceable industry-paid and agency-implemented federal excise tax funding sourced by firearm, ammunition, and archery manufacturers on their products. Outstanding accomplishments have been achieved by the partnership of these workforces. The workers on both sides of this story are gaining a new appreciation and enlightened understanding of what their partners in this wildlife and conservation effort do to make it work.
Bighorn Sheep Population
This important work is done for the health and preservation of the Bighorn sheep population, as well as many other species – in return providing enjoyment for both hunters and non-hunters alike.
Great Swamp Field Tour
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, along with Sig Sauer and American Outdoor Brands join Rhode Island Fish and Wildlife in the field at Great Swamp Management Area for a tour of how Pittman-Robertson funding is used on the ground. Video produced by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Enduring Partnerships
Celebrating the partnerships among industry, state fish and wildlife agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which have aided sport fish conservation and increased angling and boating opportunities nationwide. Film produced with the American Sportfishing Association, the American Fly Fishing Trade Association, the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Enduring Partnerships
Celebrating the partnerships among industry, state fish and wildlife agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which have aided wildlife conservation and increased hunting and shooting opportunities nationwide. Film produced with the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the Archery Trade Association, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Waterfowl and WMAs
Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) managed by state fish and wildlife agencies provide important waterfowl habitat and countless opportunities for public hunting nationwide. See two examples, Bayou Meto WMA in Arkansas and Perch River WMA in New York, and hear biologists talk about how federal excise taxes from the Pittman-Robertson Act support these incredible resources for wildlife and people.
The Striped Bass Recovery
After a massive decline in the 1970s, state and federal agencies banded together to recover the iconic striped bass on the Atlantic coast, supported in part by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Sport Fish Restoration Program with funds from the manufacture of fishing and boating equipment. By the mid-1990s, after years of dedication, science, and funding, striped bass stocks had rebounded. Film produced by the Northwoods Collective and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Restoring Elk in West Virginia
Elk are back on the landscape in West Virginia for the first time since 1875. This restoration is the result of a joint effort of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. See the full RMEF video here: https://www.rmef.org/elk-network/home-sweet-home/
Fishing in Pennsylvania with ASA and Felmlee Lures
Felmlee Lures President Michael Flanagan talks with American Sportfishing Association President Glenn Hughes and Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission Executive Director Tim Schaeffer about conservation & fishing in Pennsylvania and across the country. Video produced by Felmlee Lures, the American Sportfishing Association, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Measuring Waterfowl Populations
This duck banding mission performed by the CT DNR serves as one example of how Pittman-Roberson federal excise taxes, which are paid by the firearms and ammunition industries on behalf of sportsmen and -women, contribute directly to wildlife conservation efforts. Video produced by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Prescribed Fires with MassWildlife and T/C Arms
See a prescribed fire crew in action, from a visit to the field as part of the Partner with a Payer initiative. Projects like this are funded by the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program through federal excise taxes on the sale of firearms, ammunition and archery equipment. These burns require careful planning and execution, and are important to maintain and create new habitat for wildlife. Video courtesy of Thompson/Center Arms.