Saturday, August 9th, marked the 75th anniversary of the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act being passed into law.
Known as the Dingell-Johnson Act of 1950, this conservation law is funded by excise taxes collected on fishing tackle, licenses, motor fuel, and boating equipment. It levies a 10% excise tax on fishing equipment that is paid for by manufacturers.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also notes a 3% tax on “electric boat motors and tackle and fly boxes, import duties on tackle, pleasure boats and yachts, and a portion of the federal gas tax that is attributable to motorboats and small engines” is also levied, at no detriment to taxpayers.
D-J was signed into law on August 9th, 1950, despite President Harry Truman vetoing the original version in October 1949.
He wrote the following to the House of Representatives at the time, stating, “I return herewith, without my approval, H.R. 1746 "An act to provide that the United States shall aid the States in fish restoration and management projects, and for other purposes”.” He added, “The bill would provide a permanent indefinite appropriation contrary to the policy of Congress incorporated in the Permanent Appropriation Repeal Act, 1934, approved June 26, 1934. Whether or not the amount thus devoted to the program would be sufficient at the present time, fluctuations in revenues or changes in the needs of the program may make the "earmarked" appropriation either inadequate, in which case the program will fail of its intended purpose, or excessive, resulting in waste of Government funds. Prudent expenditure policy would indicate that the amount of funds to be expended should be subject to continuous budgetary and legislative appraisal.”
An amendment to the legislation came in 1984 with the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund (or Wallop-Breaux amendment.)
Wallop-Breaux funds have resulted in “new and improved docks and piers, wetlands conservation and boating safety programs, among many other boating and fishing initiatives.”
Since then, D-J has been revised and amended several times more. Since becoming law 75 years ago, the Sport Fish Restoration Act has pumped back $19.3 billion, adjusted for inflation, in conservation funding to support fish species, hatcheries, education efforts, boating access, and habitat restoration.
Dingell-Johnson is the fishing and boating equivalent to the Pittman-Robertson Act I frequently write about here at Townhall.com.
As with P-R dollars, D-J dollars are collected by the Department of Interior and then appropriated to all 50 states through the Sportfish Restoration Fund based on number of licenses and land area. The fund is successful and popular because it operates on the user pays-user benefits principle, with those who enjoy fishing and boating directly paying into conservation efforts through excise taxes.
In turn, Dingell-Johnson funds - like Pittman-Robertson funds - are perceived as being stewarded responsibly. “Because it respects the benefit principle so well, the tax enjoys general support among America’s sporting and outdoor community,” explained the Tax Foundation. “The excise tax on hunting and fishing equipment can teach us some lessons about well-designed excise taxes.”
This is a rare example of the government performing one of its duties well.
American sportsmen and women can see these monies in action with 9,000 beautifully-maintained public boating and fishing access points, 200 fish species monitored by biologists, and over 300 state fish hatcheries that stock a billion fish annually across the U.S.
The law is also credited to restoring iconic fish species like striped bass, lake sturgeon, and cutthroat trout to healthy numbers. As in the first Trump term, recreational fishing and boating is expected to see a boost during the second Trump administration.
The Biden-Harris administration implemented policies that restricted fishing access across the Atlantic Ocean under the guise of a vessel speed rule, shortened red snapper season in the Gulf of America, and banned lead tackle on several national wildlife refuges, among its many anti-angler policies.
The opposite, thankfully, is occurring under Trump 2.0.
Since returning to office in January, the Trump administration has expanded fishing and boating access on public waters and lands.
The first expansion administered by the Department of Interior came in May. “The Service is proposing to open or expand opportunities for hunting and sport fishing at 16 National Wildlife Refuge System stations and one National Fish Hatchery System station. These stations are located in Alabama, California, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, Texas and Washington,” noted the May 2025 DOI press release on the expansion.
The newly-created Make America Beautiful Again Commission also promises to increase outdoor access–including fishing and boating access and opportunities.
The Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation released their annual Special Report on Fishing that revealed recreational fishing participation is historically high.
RBFF found 57.9 million Americans ages six and older went fishing in 2024 - up from a previous record of 57.7 million participants in 2023. Fishing is part of my identity. I’ve benefitted from the sport and am positively shaped by my time on the water. And I don’t want to be alone. By continuing to fund and sustain the Dingell-Johnson fund, we can make Americans fish and boat again or for the first time. Tight lines, and get your fish on!