Anglers bought 29.3 million fishing licenses in 1997 compared with 29.9 million in 1996. These anglers paid $498.4 million for their licenses, tags, permits, and stamps, compared with $447 million in 1996. Meanwhile, 14.9 million hunters bought licenses in 1997, down from 15.2 million in 1996. However, they spent $564.9 million on licenses, up from $542.8 million the year before.
Revenues raised through license sales support state wildlife agencies, their conservation projects, and their hunting and fishing safety and education programs. Through license sales alone, hunters and anglers contribute nearly $1 billion a year to wildlife conservation, said Service Director Jamie Rappaport Clark. That is money that doesnt come from general tax revenue, yet it benefits every American by promoting both a healthy environment and healthy wildlife. This money doesnt even count the hundreds of millions of dollars sportsmen and women contribute through excise taxes on hunting and fishing equipment and donate to non-profit conservation organizations.
Regional Service Director Bill Hartwig, who oversees operations in eight states throughout the Midwest and Great Lakes in Region 3, is hopeful that this downward trend will be changing soon. Region 3s fishing and hunting opportunities are some of the best in the Nation, Hartwig said. We look forward to increased participation using resources specifically managed for our hunters and anglers.
In 1998, the states in Region 3 received a total of $32,044,396 in Wildlife Restoration grant funds and $55,468,342 in Sport Fish Restoration grant funds, for a total of $87,512,738. This amount represents 20.5 percent of the national total. The money will be spent on activities to improve habitat, conduct research, operate and manage fish and wildlife resources, purchase land, provide hunter and aquatic education, and construct public access and other facilities.
License sales figures are compiled annually by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from information submitted by state fish and wildlife agencies. The figures are part of a formula to determine the amount of funding each state receives through the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration and the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration programs, both administered by the Service. Under these programs, hunters and anglers pay an excise tax on hunting and fishing equipment such as firearms, ammunition, and tackle. Using these receipts, the Service provides grants to states to conserve wildlife; teach hunter safety; and provide fishing, hunting, and boating opportunities. Sales of hunting licenses peaked at 16.7 million in 1982. Sales of fishing licenses have been steady over the same time period.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://midwest.fws.gov
