Why It Matters: Sportsmen and women in Tennessee and around the country continue to step up to the plate to fund professional, science-based fish and wildlife management. Dubbed the original conservationists, hunters and anglers provide the vast majority of conservation funding in North America through the “user pays – public benefits” structure that is the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF). Through the revenue from sporting license sales and excise tax revenue from the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration programs, sportsmen and women pay their way and then some when it comes to the use of our public trust resources.
Highlights:
- On December 6, 2024, the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission (TFWC) voted to increase most hunting and fishing license prices by 28%, among other adjustments.
- On June 18, 2025, the license fee increase approved by the TFWC in 2024 was eventually withdrawn from consideration before the Joint Government Operations Committee, following several commitments by members of the Committee to seek alternative, dedicated funding for wildlife conservation.
- Last week, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), alongside 31 other sporting-conservation partners, submitted a coalition letter to Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus member Governor Bill Lee expressing the urgent need for dedicated and sustainable funding for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).
No different than you and me, state fish and wildlife agencies must constantly adjust to today’s economic realities and challenges that drive up the cost of mission delivery. , A significant part of this constant economic pressure centers around demands necessary to run a well-functioning, full-staffed, efficient, and mission-driven agency tasked with being stewards of our public trust resources.
Although hunters and anglers always have and will continue to fund conservation through the purchase of sporting licenses and matching federal funds, as the cost of doing business continues to increase for state fish and wildlife agencies, states should consider additional dedicated funding streams to support wildlife conservation. Several Southeastern states, like Georgia, Mississippi, and Louisiana, have invested in their respective state’s wildlife conservation efforts by creating unique streams of dedicated conservation funding.
The TWRA relies almost entirely on funding generated from sportsmen and women to support its mission. Despite receiving very little funding from the General Assembly, the economic contribution of hunting and fishing in Tennessee is a staggering $2.4 billion. Additionally, Tennessee ranks 15th nationally in funding generated through the ASCF with over $78 million generated at the hands of sportsmen and women. Tennessee has an impressive track record of leveraging dollars generated from sportsmen and women with professional, science-based wildlife management to produce ample opportunities for hunters and anglers in the Volunteer State. A sustained, dedicated source of funding for the TWRA to complement the significant investment already made by sportsmen and women would only benefit the state’s public trust resources that we all enjoy.
CSF is proud to be working closely with partners in Tennessee on this important initiative and looks forward to continuing the push for dedicated funding into the 2026 legislative session.
