Healthy Fish = A Healthy Industry
The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is the world’s most successful system of policies and laws to restore and safeguard fish and wildlife and their habitats.
A big blue sky above a field of low-lying grasses; ponderosa pine and the Rocky Mountains in the distance; a stream chock full of trout ripe for the taking.
Sounds good, right? What you may not know is how significant an impact the simple act of dropping a line in the water has on sustaining America’s fish populations.
Did you know that purchasing tackle and fishing licenses are crucial to ensuring clean water, plenty of fish and access to both?
Anglers, boaters and other sportsmen and women provide the most significant funding for fish and wildlife conservation and recreation in this country.
It’s called the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation and it is the most successful fish and wildlife conservation system in the world.
How does the model work?
Manufacturers of fishing gear, hunting arms and ammunition and archery equipment pay an excise tax on the equipment they produce. These funds, combined with a tax on motorboat fuels, are collected by the federal government and distributed to each state’s fish and wildlife agency.
State fish and wildlife agencies then combine these funds with monies collected through the sale of fishing and hunting licenses to conserve, manage and enhance fish and wildlife and their habitats and to create fish and wildlife recreational and educational opportunities.
Restoring and conserving habitat benefits a wide range of non-game fish and wildlife as well, benefiting everyone who enjoys nature.
