Sustaining New Hampshire's Fish and Wildlife Legacy

Questions and Answers on Fish and Game Funding

What role does the Fish and Game Department play?
As the guardian of the state's fish, wildlife and marine resources, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department works in partnership with the public to:

Conserve, manage and protect these resources and their habitats;
Inform and educate the public about these resources; and
Provide the public with opportunities to use and appreciate these resources.

How is the Fish and Game Department funded?
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). The rest of the funding comes from OHRV registrations, unrefunded motorboat gas tax, transfers and other agency income.

Less than 0.2% (two-tenths of a percent) of the department’s revenue comes from the state General Fund, and that is earmarked for the Nongame and Endangered Species Program. Most people don’t know that their tax dollars do not fund the department.

Why does a strong Fish and Game Department benefit New Hampshire citizens?
The State of New Hampshire is endowed with scenic beauty and abundant natural resources, which have shaped who we are today and will strongly influence who we will be in the future. The presence of fish, wildlife and marine resources is intricately linked to our quality of life -- and to our identity as citizens of New Hampshire.

All New Hampshire residents and visitors benefit from the work of the department. The work that we do protects open land, clean water and clean air as well as 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.

How does fish and wildlife conservation create strong local economies?

Wildlife-associated recreation contributed $579 million in expenditures to our state economy in 2001, according to the 2001 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 around in New Hampshire.
- Of this total, anglers spent a total of $164,634,000; hunters spent $71,386,000, and wildlife watchers spent $342,940,000.
Anglers, hunters and wildlife watchers spent $167 million on food and lodging in New Hampshire, based on the 2001 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. This expenditure contributed $13.4 million or about 8.2% of the meals and rooms tax for FY 2001.
According to Southwick Associates, hunting and fishing expenditures in New Hampshire support 4,552 jobs and $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.

Is it true that fish and wildlife conservation provides healthy outdoor recreational opportunities for New Hampshire residents and tourists?
According to the most recent U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation,

78,000 adults hunted in NH
267,000 adults fished in NH, and
766,000 adults watched wildlife in NH.
An additional 154,000 NH residents ages 6 to 15 also participated in hunting, fishing, and wildlife watching.

Hunters and anglers spent 4.7 million recreation days in NH during 2001, while wildlife watchers tallied 3.2 million days of wildlife-watching recreation. Collectively, this represents 7.9 million user days of wildlife recreation in New Hampshire.

How does the N.H. Fish and Game Department help communities?
In many ways. Some of Fish and Game’s ongoing programs serve:

All 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.

Why does Fish and Game have a financial deficit?
The department’s operating expenses now exceed its revenues. This situation will force a reduction in staffing, programs and services beginning in FY 08 (which starts July 1, 2007), unless additional funding is secured. To meet current operating expenses, we used $800,000 of the Fish & Game Fund Reserve in FY 2006 and anticipate using $2 million of the Fund Reserve in FY 2007. As a result, the Reserve will have an estimated balance of $1.6 million as of June 30, 2007. In FY 2008, the balance in the Reserve will be inadequate, and the department will need an additional $1.3 million in revenues. In FY 2009 the gap to be filled will rise to $3.6 million.

What does Fish and Game need in the long term?
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department needs a new supplemental source of revenue. An estimated $6 million annually is needed to catch up on lapsed responsibilities and to keep the Department's staff and programs stable. In the meantime, the Department has requested $1.6 million in State General Funds in its budget for FY 08 and FY09 -- a stopgap measure that would keep basic operations going without significant reductions in staff and services while long-range legislative solutions are worked out to achieve long-term stable funding for the Department.

Why doesn't N.H. Fish and Game raise license fees to get more revenue?
Raising license fees to meet this shortfall is not an option. Periodically since 1935, we have addressed similar financial needs through a legislative process of raising license fees. This occurred most recently in 2002 and 2003. The anticipated revenue of $3 million from that fee increase yielded only $1.6 million, which was eaten up in increases in retirees health insurance, employee health benefit costs, and lower interest rates on invested portions of the Fish and Game Fund. Recent 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 audience that benefits from Fish and Game programs and services to support wildlife conservation in New Hampshire.

Can't the department just "tighten its belt" and enhance revenues?
We've already dug deep for efficiencies and cut costs as much as possible. In the last two years alone, the Fish and Game Department has taken the following steps:

Deferred equipment purchases (including vehicles) unless the item was critical;
Eliminated 14 staff positions and looked closely at vacancies and held 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.

Is New Hampshire the only state facing a revenue shortfall for its fish and wildlife programs?
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. This work has expanded to meet many new mandated responsibilities, including OHRV registration and enforcement, habitat protection, protecting threatened species, providing public water access, controlling wildlife damage and monitoring for diseases like Avian Flu. Across the U.S., fish and wildife agencies cannot sustain themselves under this outdated funding model. In response, there are 31 states which have changed the way 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.