Why It Matters: Since 1950, the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration program has provided vital funding to state natural resources agencies for fisheries conservation and boating access. Amended in 1984 (also known as the Wallop-Breaux Amendment), the program got a significant boost in the form of excise taxes on marine fuels and small engines….
Why It Matters: There was no shortage of legislation impacting hunters and anglers in the Magnolia State during the 2025 legislative session. Everything from protecting conservation funding from free and discounted hunting and fishing licenses, creating a new wild turkey stamp, ensuring that poachers pay restitution back to the state for illegally taking wild game held…
Why It Matters: The red snapper season in the South Atlantic lasted only 24 hours in 2024. A proposed Secretarial Amendment to the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan would have provided a few more days in 2025, but it came with an unacceptable tradeoff of a large area closure to all bottom fishing for three months….
Why It Matters: Southern flounder are among the most popular targeted species of saltwater fish in North Carolina and along most of the South Atlantic. Striking a balance between recreational and commercial anglers is critical to conserving this commonly targeted species and ensuring access for North Carolina’s recreational anglers. Highlights: The North Carolina Southern Flounder…
Why It Matters: The MAPOceans Act introduced last week in the House will require the federal agency with the most U.S. waters under their jurisdiction, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to digitize and map public information about federal fishing and boating restrictions in marine waters and make timely, updated information readily available to…
Why It Matters: The American System of Conservation funding is a highly successful model unique to the rest of the world. The Wildlife and Sportfish Restoration component of the Model provides more than $1.3 billion in funding for fish and wildlife conservation each year through excise taxes on firearms, ammunition, archery equipment, fishing tackle, and…
Why It Matters: West Virginia is home to some of the most stunning cold-water fisheries that are inhabited by many fish, including the state fish: the native brook trout. It is no secret that anglers and boaters are the primary funders of state level fisheries management (Sport Fish Restoration Act) and that is why Senate…
Why It Matters: Though relatively few people are familiar with the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act, 2025 marks the 75th Anniversary of this important program and the greatest fish and aquatic resource conservation story ever told. Without it, there would be far fewer places to launch a boat, piers to fish from, or…
Why It Matters: There are seven federal agencies under four different cabinet-level secretaries that have some degree of jurisdiction and regulatory authority over what hunters, anglers, and boaters can or cannot do on navigable waters. As a compliment to the MAPWaters Act (H.R. 187) for the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture…
Why It Matters: Despite the highest abundance of red snapper anyone has ever seen in the South Atlantic, the season was only one day in 2024. Compounding the nonsensical state of red snapper management in the region, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) settled a lawsuit in 2024 brought by commercial fishermen that required an…
Why It Matters: Each year, legislators across the country and in West Virginia, introduce well-meaning legislation that provides free and discounted hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses for certain qualified individuals/groups. However, these initiatives have the potential to have negative impacts on the state’s fish and wildlife agency’s budget. To prevent the loss of sportsmen-generated dollars…
Why It Matters: Providing discounted licenses to deserving demographics such as seniors or veterans can increase hunting and fishing opportunities, but, if done incorrectly, they can also diminish the funds available to state fish and wildlife agencies through the American System of Conservation Funding. Reimbursing the agency from a state’s General Fund can offset that…