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Fishing


Photo of a USFWS Employee holding a adult Chinook SalmonWe invite you to look for the best fishing holes on Federal lands, including National Wildlife Refuges, via the Recreation.Gov database. Fishing in Alaska also involves local subsistence management issues, affected by the unique status of native claims in that state.

NOTE: Individual state, territorial, and tribal agencies issue recreational fishing licenses, and are the best source of information regarding local seasons and regulations.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service sponsors a National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation every 5 years. The questions are developed in concert with technical committee members from every state and with representatives of non-governmental organizations such as the Wildlife Management Institute and American Sportfishing Association. The most-recent survey was conducted in 2001. The 2001 survey indicated:

  • over 34 million people went fishing
  • they fished an average of 16 days per participant and spent an average $1,046 each
  • 28.4 million anglers went freshwater fishing, while 9.1 million went saltwater fishing.
  • overall, anglers spent $14.7 billion in 2001 for fishing trips, $17 billion on equipment, and $4 billion for licenses, stamps, tags, land leasing and ownership, membership dues and contributions, and magazines

In additional to the national report, 50 separate state-specific reports are available (as PDF files - may require downloading the free Adobe Acrobat Reader).

The US Fish and Wildlife Service supports fishing through over 60 Fish and Wildlife Resource Management field stations located in 33 states. In addition to the National Fish Hatcheries, the Service works in partnership with others to improve fish habitat and stream corridors. Initiatives involve a number of fish passage projects and multi-agency showcase watersheds.

Some examples of recent Service activities to enhance fishing (in addition to items common to both fishing and hunting) include:

  • Almost half of the national wildlife refuges are open to fishing. By law, hunting and fishing are "priority public uses" that are encouraged on refuges. There were about 6 million fishing visits to refuges last year. The number of visitors engaged in saltwater fishing is growing, and freshwater fishing is holding steady.
  • For 1999, the Service distributed $212,429,143 to states under the Sport Fish Restoration Program. States use Sport Fish Restoration Program funds to stock fish; acquire and improve sport fish habitat; provide aquatic resource education opportunities; conduct fisheries research; build boat ramps, fishing piers, and other recreational facilities; and engage in other related activities.
  • Funding for the Sport Fish Restoration Program comes from a 10- percent excise tax on fishing equipment, a 3-percent tax on electric trolling motors and sonar fish finders, taxes on motorboat and small engine fuels, and import duties on fishing tackle and pleasure boats. Sport Fish Restoration Program money is distributed for projects proposed by states and approved by the Service. Distribution of sport fish restoration funds to the states is based on the land and water area and the number of fishing license holders in each state. The funds pay up to 75 percent of the cost of each project; states contribute at least 25 percent of the cost.
  • The Chesapeake Bay stock of striped bass, which supports the greatest portion of the Atlantic coast fishery, was declared fully recovered by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) as of January 1, 1995. This fisheries management milestone was achieved by every coastal state from Maine to North Carolina working in partnership with the federal agencies over many years, allocating millions of dollars of their Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration apportioned funds for striped bass research and surveys and stocking programs. States have also used Sport Fish Restoration funding to participate in interstate fisheries management planning through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
  • Just as the long-term stability of this funding source was an important factor in completing the work necessary for recovery of Atlantic Coast striped bass, it will likely continue to play a major role in the adaptive process being used to ensure the future of this fishery. Striped bass produced an estimated harvest of 15.9 million pounds and targeted effort of 691,000 trips by recreational anglers in 1997, providing over a hundred million dollars of economic benefit to coastal states.
  • Thanks to a huge coalition of private, federal, state and civic organizations (including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), habitat for countless fish species is being restored through a national fish passage program that is removing or notching dams, and restoring miles of habitat and spawning grounds. This program has wide support and the Service will put another $900,000 into this program, nationwide, next year.
  • Working in partnership with National Fishing Week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provided 2300 Kmart stores across the country with supplies of a brochure that covered the basics of fishing. "Fishing is Fun for Everyone" described fishing tackle, casting, knots, safety, catch and release, and conservation. In addition, over 100,000 copies of the free brochure were distributed to the public through National Wildlife Refuges and Fish Hatcheries, as well as state fish and wildlife agencies.
  • Trout native to the Southwest are being restored to their former range, in part through Mescalero and Williams Creek National Fish Hatcheries, and the New Mexico and Arizona Fishery Resources Offices.
  • The threatened Apache trout, propagated at Williams Creek, may soon be the first living fish ever taken off the list of threatened and endangered species. This unqualified success could not have happened without our strong partnership with the White Mountain Apache people.
  • For two years running, thousands of Gila trout from Mescalero NFH have made their way back to native habitat. Just this fall, wild Gila trout were transplanted from New Mexico into an Arizona stream. Gila trout have been off limits to angling since the 1950s. This new population could be the linchpin to getting this trout downlisted to threatened, which in all probablity, will open some Gila trout populations to angling.
  • The American shad is benefitting from the fish passage program. Seasonally, this species was once the most common fish in the James River in Virginia and was found in abundance in neighboring Maryland. Thanks to the Harrison Lake National Fish Hatchery in Virginia and the opening of miles of historic habitat and spawning grounds, the shad is on its way back.
  • The Clean Vessel Act Program provides funding to states to install and maintain pumpout facilities for recreational boaters, giving them an easy way to dispose of boating sewage. As a result, rivers, lakes, and bays are cleaner and healthier for fish.
  • The Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council was formed in January 1993 to advise the Secretary of the Interior, through the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, about sportfishing and boating issues. The 18-member Council includes the director of the Service and the president of the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, as ex-officio members.
  • In 1997, the Council drew up a strategic outreach and communications plan designed to keep Americans involved in outdoor, wildlife-based recreation. That 5-year, $36 million plan is now being implemented by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation. The Foundation is overseeing a 5-year, $36 million boating and fishing campaign under a cooperative agreement with the Service.
  • The council played a major role in shaping the Executive Order (12962) on Recreational Fisheries.
Photo of Alamosamonte Vista NWR., Credit USFWS
Photo of a stream, Credit USFWS
Photo of a man holding a  gulf sturgeon.
Photos Credit: US Fish and Wildlife Service

You're invited to go fishing on many of the lands and waters managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and to get answers to two of the most common questions we are asked:

Fishing Links

News Releases About Hunting and Fishing Licenses Statistics Since 1975

Where Can I Go Fishing on a National Wildlife Refuge?

What Is the National Fish Hatchery System?


Questions? Please try our Search Engine and check out the answers to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's), before you contact us


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