News Release - 09/24/09

Get to Know Your State Fish and Wildlife Agency on National Hunting and Fishing Day on Sept. 26

38th annual celebration shares the pride in conservation success funded by hunters and anglers

WASHINGTON, DC — State fish and wildlife agencies nationwide will host National Hunting and Fishing Day events on Saturday, Sept. 26 to connect the public with nature and raise awareness of the American system of sportsmen-funded conservation.

Within the U.S., state fish and wildlife management is funded primarily through the purchase of hunting, fishing and trapping licenses and through federal excise taxes collected from the sale of hunting, target shooting, and fishing equipment and motor boat fuels. Today, nearly all state agencies receive the bulk of their total operating and program budgets from these sources to manage healthy fish and wildlife resources. Without a dedicated funding source and few other funding options for fish and wildlife agencies, hunters, boaters, anglers and trappers continue to be the primary support for state-by-state conservation efforts.

Through the American System of Conservation Funding through license revenue and excise taxes, more than $1.7 billion dollars is entrusted to state agencies annually for fisheries and wildlife restoration and management; hunter, angler and boater access; as well as for hunter and boater safety education.

Wildlife-based activities, such as hunting, fishing, viewing and photography provide people with millions of days of outdoor recreation each year and generate billions of dollars for the economy. According a 2006 National Survey of Hunting Fish and Wildlife-Related Recreation, more than 87 million Americans spent more than $120 billion dollars in 2006 on wildlife-related activities. These activities support close to three million jobs in the U.S.

“On National Hunting and Fishing Day, I encourage everyone who appreciates the outdoors to participate in a state-sponsored fishing, shooting sports or hunting event,” said Matt Hogan, Executive Director of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. “Share in the pride and celebrate the significant contributions hunters and anglers have made to support the overall conservation of our nation’s fish and wildlife resources.”

National Hunting and Fishing Day, formalized by Congress in 1971, was created to commemorate conservation successes funded by hunters and anglers, which benefits all who enjoy wildlife and wild places. The annual celebration, led by Wonders of Wildlife, the nation’s only hunting- and fishing-focused museum, promotes and builds public support for outdoor lifestyles.  National Hunting and Fishing Day is observed on the fourth Saturday of every September.

For more information about National Hunting and Fishing Day or to find a list of state-sponsored events, visit www.nhfday.org.

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The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies —the organization that represents North America's fish and wildlife agencies—promotes sound management and conservation, and speaks with a collective voice on important fish and wildlife issues. Found on the web at www.fishwildlife.org .