national wildlife refuges are open to
fishing. By law, hunting and fishing are "priority public uses" that are
encouraged on refuges. There were about 6 million fishing visits to refuges
last year. The number of visitors engaged in saltwater fishing is growing,
and freshwater fishing is holding steady.
For 1999, the Service distributed
$212,429,143 to states under the Sport Fish Restoration Program. States use
Sport Fish Restoration Program funds to stock fish; acquire and improve
sport fish habitat; provide aquatic resource education opportunities;
conduct fisheries research; build boat ramps, fishing piers, and other
recreational facilities; and engage in other related activities.
Funding for the Sport Fish Restoration
Program comes from a 10- percent excise tax on fishing equipment, a
3-percent tax on electric trolling motors and sonar fish finders, taxes on
motorboat and small engine fuels, and import duties on fishing tackle and
pleasure boats. Sport Fish Restoration Program money is distributed for
projects proposed by states and approved by the Service. Distribution of
sport fish restoration funds to the states is based on the land and water
area and the number of fishing license holders in each state. The funds pay
up to 75 percent of the cost of each project; states contribute at least 25
percent of the cost.
The Chesapeake Bay stock of striped bass,
which supports the greatest portion of the Atlantic coast fishery, was
declared fully recovered by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
(ASMFC) as of January 1, 1995. This fisheries management milestone was
achieved by every coastal state from Maine to North Carolina working in
partnership with the federal agencies over many years, allocating millions
of dollars of their Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration apportioned funds
for striped bass research and surveys and stocking programs. States have
also used Sport Fish Restoration funding to participate in interstate
fisheries management planning through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries
Commission.
Just as the long-term stability of this
funding source was an important factor in completing the work necessary for
recovery of Atlantic Coast striped bass, it will likely continue to play a
major role in the adaptive process being used to ensure the future of this
fishery. Striped bass produced an estimated harvest of 15.9 million pounds
and targeted effort of 691,000 trips by recreational anglers in 1997,
providing over a hundred million dollars of economic benefit to coastal
states.
Thanks to a huge coalition of private,
federal, state and civic organizations (including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service), habitat for countless fish species is being restored through a
national fish passage program that is removing or notching dams, and
restoring miles of habitat and spawning grounds. This program has wide
support and the Service will put another $900,000 into this program,
nationwide, next year.
Working in partnership with National Fishing
Week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provided 2300 Kmart stores across
the country with supplies of a brochure that covered the basics of fishing.
"Fishing is Fun for Everyone" described fishing tackle, casting, knots,
safety, catch and release, and conservation. In addition, over 100,000
copies of the free brochure were distributed to the public through National
Wildlife Refuges and Fish Hatcheries, as well as state fish and wildlife
agencies.
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