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A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION commemorating the 75th anniversary of the 1
Sport Fish Restoration Program as part of the American System of Conservation 2
Funding. 3
WHEREAS, more than a century ago, hunters and anglers were among the first 4
conservationists who realized America's natural resources were in peril and could not 5
sustain unregulated harvest and habitat destruction; and 6
WHEREAS, sportsmen and sportswomen took it upon themselves to support laws 7
that stopped the excessive harvest of fish and wildlife, established state agencies to 8
protect fish, wildlife, and their habitat, and advocated for special fishing and hunting 9
license fees to fund the new agencies' efforts to provide healthy natural resources for 10
future generations; and 11
WHEREAS, the primary authority to protect and manage fish within state waters 12
resides with state agencies; and 13
WHEREAS, realizing that license fees alone were insufficient to fund the 14
restoration and maintenance of healthy fish populations, anglers supported excise taxes 15
on fishing equipment to raise additional funds to support restoration and enhancement 16
efforts of the state agencies; and 17
WHEREAS, the Sport Fish Restoration Program, which is a vital part of 18
conservation funding in the United States, began 75 years ago with the passage of the 19
Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act in 1950; and 20
WHEREAS, the program was expanded in 1984 after the passage of the Wallop-21
Breaux amendment to the Sport Fish Restoration Act; and 22
WHEREAS, a manufacturer's excise tax on fishing equipment, along with an excise 23
tax on motorboat and small engine fuels, is mostly distributed back to the states through 24
the United States Fish and Wildlife Service for fisheries conservation, management, and 25
angler and boater access; and 26
WHEREAS, this cooperative partnership between the sportfishing industry, anglers, 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 1565
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boaters, state natural resource agencies, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service 1
has resulted in the most successful model of fisheries management in the world, restoring 2
and enhancing fish populations across the United States and its territories; and 3
WHEREAS, since 1939, the combined contribution of the Wildlife and Sport Fish 4
Restoration Programs and license fees to the state fish and wildlife agencies exceeds $78 5
billion dollars which is more than any other single conservation effort in American 6
history and constitutes, collectively, the American system of conservation funding; 7
NOW, THEREFORE, 8
Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of 9
Kentucky, the House of Representatives concurring therein: 10
Section 1. The General Assembly recognizes America's anglers and boaters, the 11
sportfishing industry, state fish and wildlife agencies, and the United States Fish and 12
Wildlife Service for their leading role in restoring healthy populations of fish and aquatic 13
resources, both game and non-game, to the abundance we see today, and with the help of 14
the Sport Fish Restoration Program, in this 75th year of the program's establishment that 15
is the model for the American system of conservation funding. 16
Section 2. The Clerk of the Senate is directed to transmit a copy of this 17
Resolution to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and the offices of 18
the members of Kentucky's congressional delegation. Those receiving this Resolution are 19
encouraged to further its dissemination to local, regional, and national medial sources so 20
that all may know and appreciate the foresight and contributions from anglers, the 21
sportfishing industry, state fish and wildlife agencies, and the United States Fish and 22
Wildlife Service on behalf of our nation's fisheries and aquatic resources. 23