To: Alberta Council distribution list
Various TUC members and contacts
Copied below is a news release that was sent to me today from the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
Although some people may be of the opinion there are already too many
anglers and hunters invading their private spots, it is important to
realize the importance of having a large user groups when it comes to
protecting the resource. Consequently, while some people heading out to
Frenchman's Creek this weekend may be discouraged that the number of
anglers aren't decreasing, others will find some of the longer term
implications of the information in this news release encouraging.
The information is also interesting when comparisons are made to Alberta
and other Canadian jurisdictions. For example, although Alberta's
population is substantially larger than Montana's, the number of angling
licences sold and expenditures by anglers in Montana, is more than
double of that in Alberta (i.e., particularly if you factor in the
differences between the value of our $).
The news release with a state by state breakdown can be found at
<http://news.fws.gov/newsreleases/display.cfm?NewsID=A2D9B201-0350-4BD4-A73477A70A25FC69>.
Kerry Brewin
Alberta Council Manager and Biologist
Trout Unlimited Canada
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
August 15, 2001
Dario Bard 202-208-5634
Although the number of anglers and hunters who bought licenses has
remained
fairly steady since 1998, their expenditures have continued to rise, the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today.
Anglers bought 29.6 million fishing licenses in 2000 compared with 29.7
million in 1999. These anglers paid $490.8 million for their licenses,
tags, permits, and stamps, compared with $481.2 million in 1999.
Additionally, the number of hunters remained fairly steady, with 15
million
buying licenses in 2000, closely mirroring the 1999 statistics of 15.1
million purchasers in 1999.. However, expenditures were in excess of
$613.9 million for hunting licenses in 2000, up from $580.2 million the
year before.
Revenues raised through license sales support state fish and wildlife
agencies, their conservation projects, and their hunting and fishing
safety
and education programs.
License sales figures are compiled annually by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife
Service from information submitted by each state fish and wildlife
agency.
The figures are part of a formula to determine the amount of funding
each
state receives through the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration and the
Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration programs, both administered by the
Service. Under these programs, hunters and anglers pay an excise tax on
hunting and fishing equipment such as firearms, ammunition, and tackle.
The money is, in turn, distributed to the states in for fish and
wildlife
restoration programs.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency
responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and
plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American
people. The Service manages the 94-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge
System which encompasses more than 535 national wildlife refuges,
thousands
of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates
70
national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological
services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws,
administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird
populations,
restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores
wildlife
habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their
conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that
distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing
and
hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
- FWS -
For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
visit our home page at http://www.fws.gov.
Editor's Note: For a state-by-state chart breakdown, please click link
below.
http://news.fws.gov/newsreleases/display.cfm?NewsID=A2D9B201-0350-4BD4-A73477A70A25FC69