Casting A Conservation Legacy And Celebrating 75 Years Of The Sport Fish Restoration Act

by Cindy Sandoval

This year, the Sport Fish Restoration Act turns 75. This milestone marks three-quarters of a century ensuring that sport fish populations and aquatic habitats are healthy, sustainable, and accessible for all. No other funding method has had the same longevity, consistency, and significance for fisheries management in the United States. 

The Sport Fish Restoration Act, also known as the Dingell-Johnson Act, was signed into law at a time when the country was reshaping its identity after World War II. While industry reached new heights and suburbia sprawled, aquatic wild places—our rivers, lakes, and estuaries—were at risk of becoming afterthoughts. Fish stocks were in trouble, waterway access was an issue, and communities were losing their connection to nature. Representative John Dingell Sr. and Senator Edwin C. Johnson sought to change this and modeled new legislation after the successful Pittman-Robertson Act of 1937, which funded wildlife conservation through federal excise taxes on firearms and ammunition.

Continue reading at fws.gov.

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