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Contents
·
The Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration
·
Federal Aid- Restoring America's Sport Fish
·
Programs
Where Does
the Money Come From?
The Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act, commonly
referred to as the Dingell-Johnson act, passed on August 9, 1950, was modeled
after the Pittman-Robertson Act to create a parallel program for management,
conservation, and restoration of fishery resources.
The Sport Fish Restoration program is funded by revenues
collected from the manufacturers of fishing rods, reels, creels, lures, flies
and artificial baits, who pay an excise tax on these items to the U.S.
Treasury.
An amendment in 1984 (Wallop-Breaux Amendment) added new
provisions to the Act by extending the excise tax to previously untaxed items
of sport fishing equipment.
Appropriate State agencies are the only entities
eligible to receive grant funds. Each State's share is based 60 percent on its
licensed anglers (fishermen) and 40 percent on its land and water area. No
State may receives more than 5 percent or less than 1 percent of each year's total
apportionment. Puerto Rico receives 1 percent, and the Virgin Islands, Guam,
American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, and the District of Columbia each
receive one-third of 1 percent.
The program is a cost-reimbursement program, where
the state covers the full amount of an approved project then applies for
reimbursement through Federal Aid for up to 75 percent of the project expenses.
The state must provide at least 25 percent of the project costs from a
non-federal source.
Amendments
to the Sport Fish Restoration Act
Four amendments to the Sport Fish Restoration Act
significantly altered the Program:
·
Enactment of the Wallop-Breaux Amendment (W-B) in 1984
·
Inclusion of wetlands conservation provisions in 1990
·
Creation of a boat-related waste pumpout facilities program
through amendments in 1992
·
Enactment of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st
Century (TEA-21) in 1998
The major element of the W-B Amendment established a new
Trust Fund, named the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund. Funds are also received
from import duties on sport fishing equipment, pleasure boats and yachts.
Another source of revenue is a tax from motorboat fuel sales. These motorboat
fuel taxes are collected by the U.S. Treasury and then transferred to the Fish
and Wildlife Service for distribution among the States and territories.
The passage of TEA-21 authorized a National Outreach and
Communications Program to increase participation in angling and boating while
reminding boaters and anglers about the importance of clean aquatic habitats.
It also increased the minimum level of spending for boating access to 15% and
raised the maximum allowable expenditure of Sport Fish Restoration
apportionments for aquatic education and outreach to 15%. TEA-21 created a
Boating Infrastructure Program for the construction, maintenance, or renovation
of facilities for non-trailerable recreational boats (boats greater than 26
feet in length.) TEA-21 raises the amount of Federal gas tax credited to the
Aquatic Resources Trust Fund and establishes a “permanent” appropriation for
the Boating Safety Account.
Topics
related to Sport Fish Restoration
·
The Era of Abuses and Mistakes
·
Restoration - The Early Years
·
The Anglers' Role
·
How the Tax Works
·
The States' Role
·
"Wallop-Breaux" - Meeting the Challenges of the
Future
·
Future Fishing - An Extended American Tradition
·
Coastal Wetlands
Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act
·
Clean Vessel Act
Pumpout Grant Program
·
Wallop-Breaux
Reauthorization
For any further information about Sport Fisheries resources
and the Act
Contact: Tim Hess
Tim_Hess@fws.gov
For any further information about Aquatic Education
resources and the Act
Contact: Tim Hess
Tim_Hess@fws.gov
Logo credit:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Division of Federal Aid
Arlington Square, Room 140
4401 N. Fairfax Drive
Arlington, Virginia 22203
(703) 358-2156 (voice), (703) 358-1837 (fax)