Every time you purchase a fishing rod, reel, tackle box, lure, fishing line, an electronic fish finder, or boat gasoline, you are financially assisting many fisheries programs and motorboat access in Montana. This support is in addition to what FWP receives when you purchase a fishing license.
In 1950, the U.S. Congress passed a bill creating the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Program. The legislation, supported by conservationists, anglers, tackle manufacturers, and many others throughout the nation, was modeled after the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act of 1939.
The Sport Fish Restoration Act created a 10 percent federal excise tax on certain fishing equipment, with proceeds to be used at the state level to improve sport fisheries. Sponsored by Senator Dingell from Michigan and Representative Johnson from Colorado, the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Program came to be known as the “Dingell-Johnson” Act.
In 1984, Congress passed significant amendments to the bill, adding motorboat fuel, fish finders and other products to the list of taxed goods. These amendments more than tripled the funding for state sport fisheries programs. Sponsored by Senator Wallop from Wyoming and then-Representative Breaux from Louisiana, the Federal Aid program is now referred to as “Wallop-Breaux” or “W-B”. Amendments have added more money and provided for more motor boat project funding.
The “user pay” concept is very important: as a condition of receiving the Federal Aid funds, states cannot use their state license dollars for any purpose other than sport fisheries or wildlife management. The penalty for “diverting” license dollars to other uses is severe — any state doing so would lose its Federal Aid funds! This is one reason why state legislatures have not used license dollars to fund other government functions.
Forty percent of the funds collected each year are allocated to states based on the land and water area of the state, and sixty percent is based on the number of people who have purchased one or more fishing licenses. So, FWP receives about $5 in Federal Aid funds per paid fishing license holder, which currently amounts to over $5 million a year. Since 1952, Montana has received more than $110 million in Sport Fish Restoration funds.
Most of FWP’s field biologists performing fisheries management work are funded with Sport Fish Restoration funds. Most of Montana’s fish hatchery personnel, along with many of the major hatchery renovation projects, are also funded with Federal Aid. Other important projects include aquatic education, research, habitat protection, and angler surveys. In addition, over 130 Fishing Access Sites throughout Montana have been maintained, improved, or originally purchased with Federal Aid. So far, 14 of Montana’s water-based State Parks and many of the Fishing Access Sites have been improved or maintained with Federal Aid motorboat access funds.
So, remember, each time you purchase that rod, reel, or other piece of fishing equipment, or put gas in your boat, you are contributing toward the conservation of sport fisheries in Montana.
Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973,Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975,Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, FWP joins the U.S. Department of the Interior and its bureaus in prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex (in educational programs). If you believe that you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility please write to FWP, Personnel Office, 1420 East Sixth Avenue, Helena, MT 59620 or to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,Diversity and Civil Rights-External Programs, 4040 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 130,Arlington, VA 22203.
