HOW IS FISH AND GAME FUNDED?

Contrary to the perception of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Commission and the hunting and trapping community the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is not primarily funded by hunters, anglers and trappers.

Some, including several on the Fish and Game Commission, have argued that it is only appropriate that hunters, anglers and trappers, make the rules since they are the only ones with a “vested” interest. However, this is absolutely not true!

Hunters, anglers and trappers contribute approximately 40% of the annual New Hampshire Fish and Game funding either directly from license sales or indirectly from federal programs funded by excise taxes on hunting and angling equipment. The remainder of the NHF&G funding (60%) comes from the non-hunting and fishing public, through:

• The Pittman-Robinson Wildlife Restoration Act funded by excise taxes on guns, ammunition and equipment that are not used for hunting, e.g., guns and ammunition used for target practice, home defense etc.;
• The Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act funded by excise taxes on boats, boating equipment and fuel for boats not used for angling, etc.;
• Federal grants and programs unrelated to hunting and angling, e.g., NOAA-National Estuarine Research Reserve;
• OHRV licenses;
• Conservation license plate fees;
• State wildlife funds;
• Nongame programs, and
• Annual transfers from the New Hampshire General Fund have ranged between $500,000 – $870,000 a year.

The table below summarizes how much of New Hampshire Fish and Game 2020-2021 funding comes directly from licenses sales or indirectly from federal programs funded by excise taxes on hunting and angling equipment. The pie chart compares that lesser portion of the budget to the whole. To examine data source, click the linked line item total.