$20 BILLION IN HUNTER AND ANGLER CONSERVATION FUNDING

[51smd]

Saw this today, has state by state amounts at bottom.

 

https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/secretary-zinke-announces-more-that-11-billion-sportsmen-conservation

[chenrossi]

There is also another bill hunters and anglers need pushed through Congress, that could lead states to receiving an additional dollars. HR-4647.

[Bonefreak]

Great article!  This is has been the backbone of funding conservation for many years!

The article does not mention that the number of licenses sold in each state is a quotient in the equation that determines the redistribution of the federal excise tax from equipment sales.....

So if NJ had a saltwater fishing license, we would get a lot more federal money distributed to our state, and the excise tax that we pay on our gear would not be going to other states!!  

The funds, which are distributed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, support critical state conservation and outdoor recreation projects. They are derived from excise taxes paid by the hunting, shooting, boating and angling industries on firearms, bows and ammunition and sport fishing tackle, some boat engines, and small engine fuel.

[Bucksnbows]

44 minutes ago, Bonefreak said:

 

So if NJ had a saltwater fishing license, we would get a lot more federal money distributed to our state, and the excise tax that we pay on our gear would not be going to other states!!  

 

 

I agree with all the rest of your post, but the NJ saltwater registry is now acting exactly like a license does when it comes to Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson Act(s) funds.  Before we had the registry, we could not count them towards these federal funds.   

[Bonefreak]

15 minutes ago, Bucksnbows said:

 

I agree with all the rest of your post, but the NJ saltwater registry is now acting exactly like a license does when it comes to Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson Act(s) funds.  Before we had the registry, we could not count them towards these federal funds.   

Good point, and I often wondered if the "registry" qualifies for the "license" quotient in the mathematical equation that determines each state's share of federal grant money.....but, although it's semantics, I am not sure if the "registry" is getting us more federal money because it's not a "license", and I believe the above legislation has language specifying counting each state's sportsmen and women via "license" sales. 

I will try and get some clarification from the Division on this, because when the "registry" was instituted, I did not hear any major news briefs from the Division of how the great "registry" was to get us more access to federal grant monies.  And, if the registry did work as our license to count salt water anglers....i thought we would have been getting alot more money than what we have been getting. 

[Bucksnbows]

1 hour ago, Bonefreak said:

Good point, and I often wondered if the "registry" qualifies for the "license" quotient in the mathematical equation that determines each state's share of federal grant money.....but, although it's semantics, I am not sure if the "registry" is getting us more federal money because it's not a "license", and I believe the above legislation has language specifying counting each state's sportsmen and women via "license" sales. 

I will try and get some clarification from the Division on this, because when the "registry" was instituted, I did not hear any major news briefs from the Division of how the great "registry" was to get us more access to federal grant monies.  And, if the registry did work as our license to count salt water anglers....i thought we would have been getting alot more money than what we have been getting. 

I know for a fact that our registry serves exactly like a license for these funds.  That was one reason we didn't end up having to pay although I am one that thinks a small fee is in order to help pay the salaries of biologists and COs that work in the saltwater side of our state.  The Division will confirm it tomorrow when someone is in.  

[Thunderchicken]

[stratocaster]

 

As for the excise tax, it seems to cover a lot of areas as you state, hunting, shooting, boating and angling industries on firearms, bows and ammunition and sport fishing tackle, some boat engines, and small engine fuel.

It seems we buy all that stuff here in NJ, so are you saying all the monies collected on the tax we in NJ pay for the above products all gets distributed to the other 49 states except NJ?   That seems to be exactly what you are stating.

[Bonefreak]

20 hours ago, stratocaster said:

 

As for the excise tax, it seems to cover a lot of areas as you state, hunting, shooting, boating and angling industries on firearms, bows and ammunition and sport fishing tackle, some boat engines, and small engine fuel.

It seems we buy all that stuff here in NJ, so are you saying all the monies collected on the tax we in NJ pay for the above products all gets distributed to the other 49 states except NJ?   That seems to be exactly what you are stating.

As "The Fonz" used to say "exactamundo"!!!  

You buy any of the above gear in NJ, and the excise tax that you pay goes out of NJ and to a state with a "fee based" license system, and not just a registry. 

That's why it's been mind blowing all these years NJ could have been getting major amounts of federal money but the "Ocean should be free" people have never budged in their stubborn, antiquated ideology....and the Division obviously did not do a good job educating it's constituents about the financial benefits of a salt water or an all water license, and pretty much gave up at this point. 

I was right with my original post and spoke with a well known, well respected Division employee who confirmed that our "registry" does not act as a license to count anglers to open access to federal money, he said the registry is not "fee based" therefore does not act as a "license", which is required by the federal legislation, he said the registry is more to generate data from MRIP surveys. 

He provided the below figures....

State funding in the Northeast includes:

New Hampshire- The state will receive $3,494,429 through the Sport Fish Restoration Fund and $4,652,531 through the Wildlife Restoration Fund, giving the state a total amount of $8,146,960.
Massachusetts- The state will receive $3,494,429 through the Sport Fish Restoration Fund and $7,664,947 through the Wildlife Restoration Fund, giving the state a total amount of $11,159,376.
Vermont- The state will receive $3,494,429 through the Sport Fish Restoration Fund and $4,652,531 through the Wildlife Restoration Fund, giving the state a total amount of $8,146,960.
Connecticut- The state will receive $3,494,429 through the Sport Fish Restoration Fund and $5,702,335 through the Wildlife Restoration Fund, giving the state a total amount of $9,196,764.
Rhode Island- The state will receive $3,494,429 through the Sport Fish Restoration Fund and $4,652,531 through the Wildlife Restoration Fund, giving the state a total amount of $8,146,96
For more information about the WSFR program visit http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/.

[mazzgolf]

NJ's 2018 numbers are:

$3,519,175 through the Sport Fish Restoration Fund

$7,986,372  through the Wildlife Funds

$11,505,547 total

Got these from https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/secretary-zinke-announces-more-that-11-billion-sportsmen-conservation

You can compare our numbers with the rest of the 49 states on that webpage.

Compared to MA, VT, CT,  RI, NH,  we got the most (well, us and MA got identical amounts).

[Bonefreak]

3 hours ago, mazzgolf said:

NJ's 2018 numbers are:

$3,519,175 through the Sport Fish Restoration Fund

$7,986,372  through the Wildlife Funds

$11,505,547 total

Got these from https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/secretary-zinke-announces-more-that-11-billion-sportsmen-conservation

You can compare our numbers with the rest of the 49 states on that webpage.

Compared to MA, VT, CT,  RI, NH,  we got the most (well, us and MA got identical amounts).

 

Hummmm....i see that....guna have to get back in touch with my Division pal about those #s

[Thunderchicken]

[stratocaster]

11 hours ago, Bonefreak said:

 

Hummmm....i see that....guna have to get back in touch with my Division pal about those #s

Yeah, I knew those numbers beforehand and hoped you would post the NJ numbers as they were publicly available.    Did you  deliberately choose not to post the numbers?