National Perspectives on Aquatic Education Programs and Outreach Activities: Insights from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Sport Fish Restoration Program

Federal funding from the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Program is essential to state fisheries programs, including aquatic education activities (Ross and Loomis 1999).  In recognition of the growing need for aquatic education efforts, fisheries interests worked with Congress to increase the overall percentage state agencies could spend on aquatic education programs from the Sport Fish Restoration Program.  Specifically, the passage of the TEA-21 legislation in 1998 increased the overall percentage to 15%.  Accordingly, more than $45 million is potentially available for state agencies aquatic education programs annually.  In addition, some outreach efforts to promote fishing can be funded with program funds.  These programs, however, have to compete internally with other programmatic agency priorities and may not be able to fully utilize existing federal funding opportunities.    This national assessment of states’ use of Sport Fish Restoration Program funds identifies trends aquatic education and outreach program expenditures, as well as identifying possible barriers at the national level limiting the expansion of these efforts.