BELCHERTOWN, Mass. — June 16, 2015 — For the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, conservationists, and outdoor enthusiasts, the efforts of the hatchery involve more than providing sport, trophies, and tasty meals to fly casters and spinning reel users. Revenues from fishing licenses and federal excise taxes on equipment sales support not only the stocking of fish but the preservation and restoration of aquatic habitats in Massachusetts and across the country.
But a decline in freshwater sports fishing in recent decades has fish and game officials worried that these traditional sources of funding will prove insufficient to protect natural areas, particularly as pressures intensify due to the increasing popularity of other outdoor activities, from kayaking to mountain biking to bird watching. In Massachusetts, there are three times as many bird-watchers and nature photographers as there are anglers, according to the US Census Bureau.
“At some point that [existing] model is going to get overtaxed,” said Jack Buckley, director of the agency, known as MassWildlife. “We basically have one sector of society paying the bills.”
The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, a lobbying group in Washington that represents these state agencies, says those who participate in other outdoor activities benefiting from efforts to protect natural resources should share some of the costs. The federal government collects an 11 percent excise tax on fishing and hunting equipment, annually raising about $1 billion that is distributed to states; the association has proposed extending the excise tax to other outdoor equipment.
The proposal, however, has not gained traction in Congress, where new taxes have been a nonstarter.
“It’s been a tough environment to prevail in,” said Ron Regan, executive director of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.