Today I am sharing the last two sections of the SFR 50th Anniversary document with you. Section 6 focuses on aquatic resource education, and the excellent work that had been accomplished in that realm from the Wallop-Breaux Amendment in 1984. Section 7 focuses on the future of SFR.  I think that is so timely as we contemplate the 75th Anniversary this year. One section is about the role that the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation has played. Oddly enough, the DOGE team took aim at RBFF last week (Sen. Ernst: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/doge-senator-claims-fishing-group-big-grant-salaries-nonprofit-aid), with a complete lack of understand that the associated funding is completely user-pay from excises taxes on boat motor fuel and fishing equipment.  The last section looks toward the future, from 25 years ago. What have we in the fisheries profession accomplished in that time frame? I found this quote interesting, and as relevant today as it was then: “Another factor shaping fishing participation is the amount and use of leisure time by the American populace. Americans are working more hours (Schor 1991) and while total hours of leisure time per week may not be declining, we are using it in shorter segments and for a wider variety of activities. Results of several state and national surveys all point to the same constraint to recreational fishing and boating—lack of time. Work and family obligations are the most frequently cited reasons for the shortage of fishing and boating time (Responsive Management 1999b). Clearly, recreational choices being made by the public are influenced substantially by available time. As a result, participation in activities involving significant preparation or travel time (such as fishing and boating trips) is likely to be scaled back.” The pandemic taught us that the appetite for fishing and other outdoor endeavors is as strong as ever, if folks have the time to engage. I hope you have enjoyed these historical pieces, and are planning to participate in our 75th Anniversary Symposium this summer in San Antonio (submit your abstract here).  

I have two more sections of the 50th Anniversary document to share with you.  Today’s looks at the impact of the act on public access for boating and fishing.  This might not be the most attractive part of the document for fish folks, but it is important to understand that a big jump in funding as a result of Wallop-Breaux came from Marine Fuel Taxes. In order for that income to be expended appropriately, improving boating access is a necessary component. It also resulted in more and better ways for anglers to access the water. I hope you are enjoying these historical pieces, and planning to participate in our 75th SFR Anniversary Symposium this summer in San Antonio (submit your abstract here).  

I am on a little “rinse and repeat” here with the various pieces from the SFR 50th Anniversary publication. This part talks about how SFR assisted and shaped the maturation of the fisheries profession from adolescence into adulthood (thanks to AFS Past President Steve McMullin for the analogy!). While I always want you to read these, I think this one is very timely.  I was on a conference call yesterday with my counterparts from The Wildlife Society and the Society for Range Management, and we were contemplating the roles of our Societies in a post-DOGE world. We agreed that, assuming our organizations survive, our roles in the future would be vitally important for the training and development of the next generation of natural resources professionals. The degree of institutional knowledge loss will likely be devastating, and rebuilding the expertise will be heavily dependent on professional societies. As a profession, we have been here before, and the 2nd paragraph of the article sets the stage for how current times are reflecting the past. I hope this gets you all to think more about SFR at 75. Many of you who receive this are state agency fisheries managers, and I want to use this space to ask you to consider submitting an abstract for the AFS meeting in San Antonio in August. The meeting will feature a symposium on the 75th Anniversary of SFR. State agency staff have completed so many great projects, the possibilities are nearly endless. We would love to hear those success stories, and not-so-successful stories from our collective SFR work.

As I have done for a few weeks now, I am sharing various pieces from the SFR 50th Anniversary publication. I hope this sets the stage for you all to think more about SFR at 75. Many of you who read this are state agency fisheries managers, and I want to use this space to ask you to consider submitting an abstract for the AFS meeting in San Antonio in August. The meeting will feature a symposium on the 75th Anniversary of SFR. State agency staff have completed so many great projects, the possibilities are nearly endless. We would love to hear those success stories, and not-so-successful stories from our collective SFR work. Often we learn more from our failures than we do from our successes! This week’s installment looks at how SFR advanced the field of fisheries management, contemplating ecosystem management, hatchery products, and technologic tools to fuel improvements. Again, enjoy this look back, and please consider submitting an abstract to our SFR symposium at the AFS Annual Meeting in San Antonio. 

2025 marks the 75th Anniversary of the passage of the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (SFR). This legislation was truly transformative for the fisheries profession. Additionally, the Wallop-Breaux Amendment in 1984 greatly expanded the program, and “fueled” (IYKYK) ability of state agencies, USFWS, and RBFF to do much of the great fisheries work that is being accomplished today. AFS was greatly involved in the initial passage of SFR in 1950, and even more involved in 1984. Upon the 50th Anniversary of this legislation in 2000, AFS published an 84 page supplement to Fisheries that detailed numerous accomplishments of SFR. Over the next few weeks, I will share with you some sections of that publication. Today, I start with section 3, which details the making of the legislation. I think understanding this history is important, as many fisheries jobs directly depend on SFR. As you will read, SFR undergoes congressional reauthorization every 5-6 years, and is due to expire in 2026. Efforts are underway to push that reauthorization process, and as we have been since these efforts began in the 1930s, AFS will be a part of that endeavor. AFS and USFWS will be celebrating the 75th Anniversary of SFR with a plenary at the 155th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society in San Antonio in August. There will also be a symposium on the 75th Anniversary of SFR, and look for a column from me in an upcoming issue of Fisheries about the AFS history regarding SFR.