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Where It All Began

America's fish populations have been declining for more than a century. In 1871, Congress recognized the problem and responded by creating the U.S. Office of the Commission of Fisheries. The agency encouraged states to implement conservation measures such as management practices, closed seasons, and stocking lakes with hatchery raised fish. But these programs, paid for with state license fees, did little to alter the downturn in recreational fisheries. Their lack of success was due, in part, to inadequate funding sources.

In 1937, the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act established excise taxes on outdoor sports equipment, with proceeds going toward wildlife enhancement. In 1950, Congress enacted the Sport Fish Restoration Act, sponsored by U.S. Representative John Dingell, Sr., of Michigan and Senenator Edwin Johnson, of Colorado. The law, which became known as the "Dingell-Johnson Act," applies a 10 percent manufacturer's excise tax on fishing rods, reels, creels, lures, and flies. Tax revenues are transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which in turn distributes them to the states for recreational sport fishing enhancement projects.

Each state's share is based 60 percent on its number of paid licensed sport fishermen and 40 percent on its land and water area. No state may receive more than 5 percent or less than 1 percent of each year's total collection. Through the years, this act has provided nearly $500 million to the states for thousands of individual projects. Up to 75 percent of each Sport Fish Restoration project is paid for with federal funds and 25 percent with matching state funds.

By 1984, these funds had become inadequate. Senator Malcolm Wallop of Wyoming and Representative John Breaux of Louisiana sponsored the Wallop-Breaux Amendment to the Sport Fish Restoration Act, extending the tax to tackle boxes, sonar fish finders, motorboat fuels, electric motors, and other equipment not included in the earlier laws.

The Wallop-Breaux Amendment requires that 12.5 percent of all restoration money be spent on boating access to public waters and requires Florida and other coastal states to fund marine recreational fisheries projects proportionate to the ratio of freshwater to saltwater anglers.

The amendment enlarged the fund from $40 million annually in 1950 to $351.8 million in fiscal 1993. Of this, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission receives approximately $3–4 million annually for saltwater research and boatramp improvement projects.

The Florida angler has two ways to contribute to the protection of Florida's marine resources: directly through the purchase of saltwater fishing licenses, and indirectly by purchasing fishing supplies and equipment covered in the Sport Fish Restoration program. Thanks to anglers and boaters and their tax dollars, recreational sport fishing will endure.

Some of the projects anglers and boaters have helped to fund include:

• Improving boating facilities, parking, fishing cleaning stations, and facilities at marine parks;
• Development and maintenance of artificial reefs along Florida's coastline;
• Long-term monitoring of juvenile finfish to assess sport fish stocks, determine trends in relative abundance, and provide early warning signs of problems or impacts of recent management decisions;
• Conducting research on the abundance, distribution, and life history of tarpon and bonefish in Florida;
• Investigating and controlling disease parasites affecting hatchery-raised fish such as red drum;
• Creation and implementation of public outreach programs geared towards educating the public about the science and conservation of Florida's fisheries; and,
• Developing regional Boating and Angling Guides for Florida's boaters and fishermen.