Why It Matters: The Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund is a cornerstone of the American System of Conservation Funding, delivering critical, dedicated funding to state fish and wildlife agencies for fisheries management, boating access, and safety programs. Congressional action is required every five years to maintain the Fund’s revenue streams tied to marine and small engine fuel taxes.
Highlights:
- The fund generated more than $790 million in FY 2025 for fisheries conservation, boating infrastructure, and safety programs.
- Periodic reauthorization is required to sustain collections from fuel-based excise taxes.
- Senators Dan Sullivan (AK) and Maria Cantwell (WA) introduced S. 4250 to reauthorize the program through the Sport Fish Restoration, Recreational Boating Safety, and Wildlife Restoration Act of 2026.
Last year marked the 75th anniversary of the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, a critical component of the American System of Conservation Funding. CSF, along with the Angling and Boating Alliance, continues to work closely with Congress to ensure the long-term stability and success of this vital program for anglers, boaters, and the nation’s aquatic resources.
“The Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, together with fishing license revenues, serves as the cornerstone of state-led fisheries conservation across the United States,” said Taylor Schmitz, Senior Vice President of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. “This uniquely American model has proven extraordinarily effective in sustaining aquatic resources and providing critical access. We commend Senators Sullivan and Cantwell, along with the bill’s original cosponsors, for their leadership in advancing the reauthorization and long-term protection of this vital program for future generations.”
Originally established in 1950 as the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act, often cited as the Dingell-Johnson Act, the program was expanded in 1984 to include additional excise taxes on items such as marine and small engine fuels. Today, it is widely recognized as an integral component of the most successful “user pays – public benefits” conservation funding models in the world. Through excise taxes on fishing equipment, trolling motors, and motorboat fuels, the Fund supports fisheries management, habitat restoration, boating access, and safety initiatives. Generating more than $700 million annually, the program is essential to ensuring state agencies can effectively manage and conserve aquatic resources for the benefit of anglers, boaters, and the broader public.
CSF looks forward to working with the bill’s sponsors, which also includes Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Vice Chair Senator Gary Peters (MI) and CSC Members Senators Roger Wicker (MS), Tim Sheehy (MT), Marsha Blacburn (TN) and Amy Klobuchar (MN) to ensure the successful reauthorization of this critical conservation funding mechanism.