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 fish to catch. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) is using this historical marker to educate Members of Congress, state legislators, and the public on just how vital this “user pays – public benefits” program is to the nation and our aquatic resources.
Highlights:
- 75 – the number of years since the highly successful Sport Fish Restoration Program was established
- $19.3 billion – the total of inflation-adjusted revenues the Sport Fish Restoration Program has generated for state aquatic resources and boating efforts since establishment.
At the turn of the last century, it became apparent that fishing and hunting license fees alone were not going to be enough to restore habitats and bring back healthy populations of fish and wildlife after decades of unfettered natural resource extraction in this country. In 1937, through the efforts of hunters and firearms and ammunition manufactures, the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, also known as the Pittman-Robertson Act, redirected an 10-11% (depending on the product) excise tax on firearms and ammunition, later amended to include archery equipment and other items, into a separate account in the United States Treasury that was to be used only for wildlife conservation purposes with most of it going back to the state natural resources agencies.
The Wildlife Restoration Act and resulting program was so successful for funding wildlife management that anglers and the fishing industry stepped up and supported a similar tax program on fishing equipment to be used for fish and aquatic resource conservation. In 1950, the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act, also known as the Dingell-Johnson Act, became law. The Act was amended in 1984 to expand the taxable items, including the portion of the federal fuel tax attributable to motorboat and small engine fuels which provided a significant bump in the overall program funding.
Since 1950, the Sport Fish Restoration Program has been a principal funding source for state fish hatcheries, fisheries management, boating access, recruiting and reactivating anglers and boaters, boating safety, and aquatic education programs. From 1951 to 2025, the revenues generated by the program for states total an impressive $19.3 billion when adjusted for inflation. It’s a program that is vital to providing Americans with healthy fisheries and easy access to our waters.
These excise taxes through Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson, combined with fishing and hunting license revenues, constitute the American System of Conservation Funding, a model unlike anything else in the world. Unfortunately, policy makers sometimes assume these funds come from general taxes on the public and are subject to appropriations or spending cuts, but they are not. These funds are derived from those who hunt, fish, and boat and the industries they support for one purpose – to make sure we have access to healthy fish and wildlife resources.
In recognition of the 75th Anniversary of the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act and the highly successful program it has become, CSF is working with the state legislative sportsmen’s caucuses to pass celebratory resolutions while educating federal legislators, state legislators and governor’s offices on the importance of this program. It is also timely as CSF and other members of the Angling and Boating Alliance will be working on the Congressional reauthorization of the program in 2026. This “user pays – public benefits” system of conservation funding is unique, incredibly effective, and worth protecting for the next 75 years and beyond.
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