Fish and Game Funding: Sustaining New Hampshire's Fish and Wildlife Legacy

Seventy percent of our conservation work is funded by fishing and hunting licenses and permit fees, plus dedicated federal funds from the sale of hunting and fishing equipment (Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program funds). The rest of the funding comes from OHRV registrations, unrefunded motorboat gas tax, transfers and other agency income. Click here for a pie chart showing the sources of Fish and Game funding and the breakdown of Department spending on various programs.

Most people don't know that their tax dollars do not fund Fish and Game. A very small percentage, less than 0.2% (two-tenths of one percent), of the department’s revenue comes from the state General Fund, and that is earmarked for the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program.

Basic funding for Search and Rescue efforts comes from a $1 fee on every boat, OHRV, and ATV registration; these fees are deposited into the Search and Rescue account. Click here to learn more about search and rescue funding.

No. The Nongame Program is supported by individual donations, federal State Wildlife Grants, and a small matching grant from the State of New Hampshire. Click here to learn more and donate to the Nongame Program.

Only part of the registration revenue generated by the Off-Highway Recreational Vehicle Program goes to Fish and Game. The N.H. Bureau of Trails at DRED (N.H. Department of Resources and Economic Develpment) receives a majority of the funds; 77% of the snowmobile registration monies and 55% of the wheeled vehicle registration monies goes to DRED. The remainder stays at Fish and Game as dedicated funds used for the OHRV Registry Program, Snowmobile and OHRV Safety Education Program, providing Law Enforcement for Snowmobile and Off Highway Recreational Vehicles, and providing contract money for other law enforcement agencies for Wheeled Vehicle Enforcement.

The Wildlife Heritage Foundation of New Hampshire is Fish and Game's official non-profit partner. It raises money, in support of Fish and Game’s conservation and management of wildlife and natural places, through individual and corporate donors, events, and from the annual auction of fish and game permits and licenses. For more information or to make an online donation, visit www.nhwildlifefoundation.org.

All New Hampshire residents and visitors benefit from the work of Fish and Game. The work that we do protects open land, clean water and clean air and provides for wildlife watching, boating access sites, fish and wildlife conservation, educational opportunities for all ages, and great fishing and hunting. Our work sustains healthy and diverse populations of fish and wildlife, as well as protecting and enhancing the habitats they depend on for survival. We accomplish this through scientific research, species and habitat management and protection, enforcement of conservation laws and a range of educational programs for all ages -- all with the participation and support of the public.

New Hampshire is endowed with scenic beauty and abundant natural resources, qualities that have shaped the state's character today and will strongly influence what kind of state we will have in the future. The presence of fish, wildlife and marine resources is intricately linked to our quality of life, our economy and our identity as citizens of New Hampshire.

Wildlife-associated recreation contributed $560 million in expenditures to New Hampshire's economy in 2006, according to the 2006 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. This spending often takes place in the "shoulder" seasons of spring and late fall, when fewer tourists are visiting or traveling in New Hampshire.

• Of this total, anglers spent $172 million; hunters spent $75 million, wildlife watchers spent $274 million (plus participants spent an additional $39 million on trips and equipment related to more than one of these activities).

Anglers, hunters and wildlife watchers spent $108 million on food and lodging in New Hampshire, based on the 2006 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation.

According to Southwick Associates, hunting and fishing expenditures in New Hampshire support 4,552 jobs and more than $108 million in salaries and wages.

In 1998, the National Marine Fisheries Service reported that N.H. saltwater recreational expenditures were $45 million per year. In 2004, commercial marine fisheries landings in New Hampshire were valued at more than $9 million.

It sure does. Hunters and anglers spent 4 million recreation days in New Hampshire during 2006, while wildlife watchers tallied 3.2 million days of wildlife-watching recreation. Collectively, this represents 7.2 million user days of wildlife recreation in New Hampshire.According to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, in 2006:

• 61,000 people aged 16 and older hunted in New Hampshire;
• 230,000 people aged 16 and older fished in NH;
• 710,000 people aged 16 and older watched wildlife in NH; and
• An additional 106,000 New Hampshire residents ages 6 to 15 also participated in hunting, fishing, and wildlife watching.

Fish and Game's ongoing programs serve:

• All N.H. residents and visitors who enjoy and cherish the state's bountiful fish and wildlife resources and who depend on Fish and Game for information and services;
• Communities working to preserve critical wildlife habitats, open space and land access;
• Community health interests relating to wildlife/human diseases such as Rabies, Lyme Disease, Chronic Wasting Disease, West Nile Virus and Avian Flu;
• State and local business, including diverse outdoor retailers and hospitality interests dependent on seasonal influxes of hunters, anglers and wildlife viewers;
• Farmers, foresters, livestock owners and fish culturists concerned about wildlife impacts;
• Residents, camp owners, visitors and community leaders concerned about "nuisance" bears;
• Citizens affected by public safety concerns like wildlife/vehicle collisions, hunter safety, rescue operations, OHRV enforcement, and ice safety;
• Schoolteachers and nature educators who benefit from Fish and Game outreach and education programs, curricula and professional development training -- and the thousands of students who become grounded in the values of conservation through their efforts.

The Department's operating expenses now exceed its revenues. To meet current operating expenses, the Fish and Game Fund reserve is being tapped.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department needs a new supplemental source of revenue. To catch up on lapsed responsibilities and keep the Department's staff and programs stable, it is likely that long-range legislative solutions are needed. As agency resources are stretched to the limit, there is a clear need to establish some kind of mechanism to allow the broader constituencies that benefit from the Department’s programs help pay for them, as hunters and anglers have been doing for many years.

Raising license fees is not an option. Periodically since 1935, we have addressed similar financial needs through a legislative process of raising license fees. Research indicates that a further increase in fees would result in a participation decline and net reduction in revenue, telling us we must look to the broader constituencies that benefit from Fish and Game programs and services to support wildlife conservation in New Hampshire.

The Department has dug deep for efficiencies and cut costs as much as possible, including:

• Deferred equipment purchases (including vehicles) unless the item was critical;
• Eliminated many staff positions and held vacant positions open for as long as possible;
• Conducted surveys to determine why fewer people are purchasing fishing and hunting licenses; applied the results to marketing campaigns;
• Continued work on ways to recruit new hunters and anglers;
• Invested a portion of the Fish and Game Fund in an account that yields higher-interest earnings;
• Adopted new technologies to accomplish work more efficiently.

No. This situation is part of a national trend. Every state in the country has a department that oversees fish and wildlife conservation, and many of these agencies are also facing financial difficulties. Nationally, participation in hunting and fishing is declining, along with the license dollars that pay for most of the work that wildlife agencies do. Department responsibilities have expanded to meet many new mandated duties, including OHRV registration and enforcement, habitat protection, protecting threatened species, providing public water access, controlling wildlife damage and monitoring for diseases.

Across the U.S., fish and wildife agencies are finding they cannot sustain themselves under this outdated funding model. In response, 31 states have changed the way in which their state wildlife agencies are funded, so that they do not have to rely solely on hunting and fishing license fees. Some get revenue from income, sales or other taxes; others -- including Vermont and Maine -- through annual General Fund appropriations.