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Office of the Secretary
Contact: Nicholas Throckmorton
For Immediate Release: March 4, 2004
202-208-5634

State Fish and Wildlife Agencies to
Share in More Than $464 Million

State fish and wildlife agencies will share more than $464 million in excise taxes paid by America's hunters, anglers and boaters to support fish and wildlife conservation and education programs, Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced today.

 

The agencies will use the money to support conservation programs such as fish and wildlife monitoring, habitat improvement, land acquisition, research, education, and other programs. The funds also will help pay for hunter safety and aquatic education and fish- and wildlife-related recreation projects. The funds are apportioned by formula under two Federal Assistance programs administered by the department's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

 

“The twin Federal Assistance in Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration programs reflect the deep commitment our sportsmen have to conserving our nation’s fish and wildlife and their habitat,” Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton said. “Through excise taxes on hunting, angling and boating supplies, they have supported state conservation programs for the nearly 70 years. Once again this year, we will all benefit from their contributions and the programs and projects they support in every state.”

 

"Hunting and fishing are rich parts of our nation’s heritage,” said Steve Williams, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  “Anglers and hunters have been the leading force for conservation in America.  By supporting these excise taxes, they are contributing critical funds – $9 billion over the past 67 years – for maintaining and restoring our fish and wildlife resources."

 

The wildlife restoration apportionment for 2004 totals nearly $204 million, with $38 million apportioned for hunter education.  The apportionment for sport fish restoration for 2004 totals nearly $261 million.

 

The funds from the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act, enacted in 1937, are made available to states based on land area (plus inland waters, such as lakes and large rivers) and the number of hunting license holders in each state. Distribution of hunter education funds is based on the relative population of each state.  The Service distributes sport fish restoration funds to the states based on the land and water area (land plus inland water, the Great Lakes and marine coastal areas) and the number of fishing license holders in each state.

 

Federal Assistance funds pay for up to 75 percent of the cost of each project while the states contribute at least 25 percent.

 

The wildlife restoration money is derived from an 11 percent excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition, a 10 percent tax on pistols and revolvers, and an 11 percent tax on certain archery equipment. Half of the tax on handguns and archery equipment is made available for state hunter education and safety programs.  States use Wildlife Restoration Program funds to manage wildlife populations, habitat, research, surveys and inventories and to administer hunter education programs.

 

The funding from the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act, enacted in 1950, comes from a 10-percent excise tax on fishing equipment and a 3-percent tax on electric trolling motors and sonar fish finders. The 1984 Wallop-Breaux amendments to the Dingell-Johnson program increased the size of the sport fish restoration trust fund by including a portion of the federal fuels tax attributable to motor boats fuel and the addition of import duties on fishing tackle and pleasure boats.

 

States use Sport Fish Restoration Program funds to stock fish; acquire and improve sport fish habitat; provide aquatic resource education opportunities; conduct fisheries research; and build boat ramps, fishing piers and other facilities necessary to provide recreational boating access. 

 

Florida, Mississippi, Wisconsin and Vermont have used the Sport Fish Restoration Program funds to complete or continue the following projects: 

 

·        The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Florida Marine Institute have developed health profiles for marine sport fish being cultivated for stock enhancement at the Stock Enhancement Research Facility to ensure fish are healthy when released.  Responses are provided to recreational angler concerns and to fish kills or disease events in the wild.  The fish health data collected is used to develop species-specific health criteria for profiles to be included in a statewide marine fish stocking policy. This ensures that fish to be released are healthy. The profiles help the State maximize production by reduction of expensive treatments and make fish production more cost-effective. 


 

 

 

 

 

Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Funds for Fiscal Year 2004

CFDA Number 15.611

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wildlife Restoration

 

  Hunter Education

 

TOTAL 

 

FY 2004   

FY 2003    

  FY '03 Section 10

 

FY 2004 

FY 2004

 

Wildlife +

 

Wildlife Rest.

Adjustment *

Reverted Funds

  TOTAL 

 

Section 4

Section 10

 

Hunter Ed

ALABAMA

2,755,336

41,638

0

2,796,974

 

685,569

180,544

 

3,663,087

ALASKA

8,233,429

0

31,393

8,264,822

 

303,780

80,000

 

8,648,602

ARIZONA

3,891,867

-21,899

0

3,869,968

 

790,943

208,294

 

4,869,205

ARKANSAS

3,463,527

39,997

31,393

3,534,917

 

303,780

80,000

 

3,918,697

CALIFORNIA

5,752,553

6,153

0

5,758,706

 

911,337

240,000

 

6,910,043

COLORADO

4,245,569

-205,424

0

4,040,145

 

663,086

174,624

 

4,877,855

CONNECTICUT

823,343

0

0

823,343

 

525,004

138,260

 

1,486,607

DELAWARE

823,343

0

3,140

826,483

 

303,780

80,000

 

1,210,263

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

0

0

0

0

 

0

0

 

0

FLORIDA

2,455,820

29,806

31,393

2,517,019

 

911,337

240,000

 

3,668,356

GEORGIA

3,276,390

36,765

0

3,313,155

 

911,337

240,000

 

4,464,492

HAWAII

823,343

0

0

823,343

 

303,780

80,000

 

1,207,123

IDAHO

3,434,364

-5,807

31,393

3,459,950

 

303,780

80,000

 

3,843,730

ILLINOIS

3,016,568

-59,372

31,393

2,988,589

 

911,337

240,000

 

4,139,926

INDIANA

2,417,535

-46,103

30,114

2,401,546

 

 

911,337

240,000

 

3,552,883

IOWA

2,791,279

-30,753

0

2,760,526

 

451,124

118,804

 

3,330,454

KANSAS

3,099,553

-22,327

31,393

3,108,619

 

303,780

80,000

 

3,492,399

KENTUCKY

2,861,231

54,612

31,393

2,947,236

 

623,082

164,089

 

3,734,407

LOUISIANA

2,648,894

-33,891

31,393

2,646,396

 

688,941

181,432

 

3,516,769

MAINE

1,882,834

-47,548

0

1,835,286

 

303,780

80,000

 

2,219,066

MARYLAND

938,014

18,083

0

956,097

 

816,511

215,028

 

1,987,636

MASSACHUSETTS

823,343

0

0

823,343

 

911,337

240,000

 

1,974,680

MICHIGAN

6,031,976

-33,186

31,393

6,030,183

 

911,337

240,000

 

7,181,520

MINNESOTA

5,217,563

27,930

0

5,245,493

 

758,391

199,722

 

6,203,606

MISSISSIPPI

2,526,997

-5,667

31,393

2,552,723

 

438,534

115,488

 

3,106,745

MISSOURI

4,599,618

98,272

31,393

4,729,283

 

862,563

227,156

 

5,819,002

MONTANA

4,971,634

-14,396

31,393

4,988,631

 

303,780

80,000

 

5,372,411

NEBRASKA

2,903,066

-33,973

31,393

2,900,486

 

303,780

80,000

 

3,284,266

NEVADA

3,168,696

7,172

0

3,175,868

 

303,780

80,000

 

3,559,648

NEW HAMPSHIRE

823,343

0

7,451

830,794

 

303,780

80,000

 

1,214,574

NEW JERSEY

823,343

0

0

823,343

 

911,337

240,000

 

1,974,680

NEW MEXICO

3,711,545

18,057

31,393

3,760,995

 

303,780

80,000

 

4,144,775

NEW YORK

4,888,569

15,260

0

4,903,829

 

911,337

240,000

 

6,055,166

NORTH CAROLINA

3,609,814

128,135

31,393

3,769,342

 

911,337

240,000

 

4,920,679

NORTH DAKOTA

2,559,428

46,849

0

2,606,277

 

303,780

80,000

 

2,990,057

OHIO

3,284,803

-134,165

31,393

3,182,031

 

911,337

240,000

 

4,333,368

OKLAHOMA

3,519,149

123,524

0

3,642,673

 

531,955

140,090

 

4,314,718

OREGON

4,050,293

-30,181

0

4,020,112

 

527,445

138,903

 

4,686,460

PENNSYLVANIA

6,621,394

64,804

0

6,686,198

 

911,337

240,000

 

7,837,535

RHODE ISLAND

823,343

0

0

823,343

 

303,780

80,000

 

1,207,123

SOUTH CAROLINA

2,253,859

111,481

27,542

2,392,882

 

618,495

162,881

 

3,174,258

SOUTH DAKOTA

3,111,347

-55,000

0

3,056,347

 

303,780

80,000

 

3,440,127

TENNESSEE

4,856,911

-7,373

31,393

4,880,931

 

877,064

230,974

 

5,988,969

TEXAS

8,233,429

0

0

8,233,429

 

911,337

240,000

 

9,384,766

UTAH

3,018,197

-18,825

0

2,999,372

 

303,780

80,000

 

3,383,152

VERMONT

823,343

0

0

823,343

 

303,780

80,000

 

1,207,123

VIRGINIA

2,683,082

10,738

0

2,693,820

 

911,337

240,000

 

3,845,157

WASHINGTON

2,785,373

-3,204

0

2,782,169

 

908,642

239,290

 

3,930,101

WEST VIRGINIA

2,122,640

6,050

24,903

2,153,593

 

303,780

80,000

 

2,537,373

WISCONSIN

5,030,337

-33,946

0

4,996,391

 

826,869

217,756

 

6,041,016

WYOMING

3,236,239

-42,286

0

3,193,953

 

303,780

80,000

 

3,577,733

PUERTO RICO

823,342

0

0

823,342

 

50,630

13,333

 

887,305

GUAM

274,447

0

0

274,447

 

50,630

13,333

 

338,410

VIRGIN ISLANDS

274,447

0

1,046

275,493

 

50,630

13,333

 

339,456

AMERICAN SAMOA

274,447

0

0

274,447

 

50,630

13,333

 

338,410

N. MARIANA ISLANDS

274,447

0

0

274,447

 

50,630

13,333

 

338,410

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

164,668,596

0

627,877

165,296,473

 

30,377,906

8,000,000

 

203,674,379

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*  FY 2003 final apportionments for Wildlife were calculated using 2000 license data.  License data from 2001 should have been used.  This column shows the adjustment made to correct this error.

 

Please visit the Service’s Division of Federal Assistance web site at http://federalaid.fws.gov for state-by-state funding allocations.