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January 2020
Issue 25

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How fishing funds conservation

When you purchase a sport fishing license or a king salmon stamp, where does the money go? The short answer is, the money you spend on a sport fishing license or king salmon stamp helps fund resource conservation in Alaska.

In this issue of Reel Times we’ll explore in more detail how funds generated from the sale of sport fishing licenses and king salmon stamps helps conserve and maintain Alaska’s aquatic resources.

That being said, if you have yet to purchase your 2020 sport fishing license, please do so by visiting our online store: https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/Store/.

2020 is here. We hope this will be a great year for all anglers who fish in Alaska. If you’re setting personal goals, let us suggest you set a goal to fish at least one new place in the state that you’ve never fished before. If you need help locating places or you seek information on anything related to sport fishing, please don’t hesitate to contact one of our office across the state. You’ll find contact information here: https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=contacts.main.

Be sure to follow us on social media. You’ll find us on Instagram @wefishak, on Facebook @wefishak and on YouTube.

Get Out and Fish. Together.

Tight lines!

Division of Sport Fish
Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Your license dollars at work

The Division of Sport Fish is funded in part through the sale of sport fishing licenses and king salmon stamps. This means when you purchase a sport fishing license or king salmon stamp, the money from that sale goes directly to fund staff working within the Division to protect and improve sport fisheries resources in Alaska.

Sport fish biologists, researchers, and technicians are in the field year-round, monitoring and managing a wide range of fish species, from Alaska’s Southeast Panhandle to the high Arctic to fulfill the mission of the Division of Sport Fish — to protect and improve the state’s sport fisheries resources.

We use the funds from our license sales to provide the required match for federal funding we receive through the Sport Fish Restoration Act, enabling each license dollar to go further.

The Division of Sport Fish was established in 1951, coinciding with the passage of the Sport Fish Restoration (Dingell-Johnson) Act. The Sport Fish Restoration Act provides Federal aid to all state and territory fish and wildlife agencies for management and restoration of fish species having a material value for sport fishing and recreation. Eligible projects include restoration, conservation, management, and enhancement of sport fish, boating access, and projects enhancing the public’s understanding of water resources and aquatic life.

Sport Fish Restoration funds originate from excise taxes on sport fishing tackle, fish finders and electric trolling motors, import duties on fishing tackle, yachts and pleasure craft, interest on the account, and a portion of motorboat fuel tax revenues and small engine fuel taxes attributed to motor boats (added in 1984 under the Wallop-Breaux amendment). To be eligible to receive Federal Aid through the Sport Fish Restoration program, states are required to pass laws which prohibit the use of license fees for any other purpose than the administration of the state fish department, called assent legislation (Alaska’s Assent legislation is found at AS 16.05.130).

In the state of Alaska these Sport Fish Restoration funds primarily matched with license dollars, fund most of our management of sport fisheries, research to aid in our management, education and outreach, as well as boating access projects across the state.

When you purchase a sport fishing license, king salmon stamp, fishing equipment, boats or boating equipment, or any other product used to go fishing, your money goes right back into resource conservation. You help keep Alaska’s sport fisheries healthy. And that’s something all anglers can feel good about.

For more information on sport fishing licenses and other licenses offered by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, please visit: https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=license.main.

How many sport fishing licenses and king salmon stamps were sold in Alaska in 2018?

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Licensing section keeps yearly records of all licenses and permits sold in the state. The below graphs show how many licenses and stamps were sold in 2018, the most recent complete dataset.

The below chart shows the number of licenses and stamps sold to residents and nonresidents.

For more information, or to access data from past years, please visit: https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=license.statistics.

Examples of Sport Fish projects funded through angler dollars

Sport fish biologists, researchers, and technicians are in the field year-round, monitoring and managing a wide range of fish species. The Division of Sport Fish uses the funds generated from the sale of sport fishing licenses and king salmon stamps to provide the required match for federal funding we receive through the Sport Fish Restoration Act, enabling each license dollar to go further.

The Division of Sport Fish was established in 1951, coinciding with the passage of the Sport Fish Restoration (Dingell-Johnson) Act. The Sport Fish Restoration Act provides Federal aid to all state and territory fish and wildlife agencies for management and restoration of fish species having a material value for sport fishing and recreation. Eligible projects include restoration, conservation, management, and enhancement of sport fish, boating access, and projects enhancing the public’s understanding of water resources and aquatic life.

Below are links to stories that appeared in “Fish and Wildlife News” that highlight a few Sport Fish projects funded in part or in full by DJ funds.

• “Life History of Kuskokwim River Sheefish”
  http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=936
• “The Situk River: An Alaska Steelhead Mecca”
  http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=890
• “Hatchery-raised Rainbow Trout: Using Mother Nature’s Tricks to Provide Fishing Opportunities”
  http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=891
• “Kenai Rainbows: Managing Trout on the Kenai Peninsula”
  http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=882
• Sport Fish hatcheries:
  http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishingSportStockingHatcheries.main

Attention salt water anglers: Be advised of new regulations regarding deepwater release mechanisms

Beginning January 1, 2020, all vessels sport fishing in the salt waters of Alaska must have a functioning deepwater release mechanism (DRM) on board, and all rockfish not harvested must be released at depth of capture, or at a depth of 100 feet.

For more information on deepwater release and rockfish conservation, visit: www.adfg.alaska.gov/rockfish

We’ve posted videos on our YouTube channel showing how to use a deepwater release mechanism. They can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkXCiJ4HmgDxkqCBPZtZyeENk_MztDxPH

Reel Adventures

We’re introducing a new addition to Reel Times. We’re calling this section, “Reel Adventures.” Each month we’ll have information in this section aimed at getting you and your fishing family out on the water.

For this month, we’re encouraging people to get out and go put in set-lines for burbot.

You can learn more about burbot by visiting our species profile page here: http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=burbot.main.

If you’ve never put in set-lines before, we recommend you watch this video detailing the process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8Hfst-ir6Q.

On your next “Reel Adventure,” go put in set-lines for burbot.

Good luck!

Field to Plate – Recipe of the Month

What’s for dinner? How about a nice piece of Alaskan salmon with a molasses and marmalade glaze? For this and other recipes brought to you by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, visit:

https://www.wildalaskaseafood.com/recipesdb/?recipeId=MzEw

If you have any questions about the Reel Times newsletter, please contact Ryan Ragan at ryan.ragan@alaska.gov