Game and Fish’s strong finances keeps fees down

Talk about it

A standard instructional segment of North Dakota’s hunter education course is an explanation of hunting and fishing license fees and excise taxes and how hunting and fishing have a strong history and tradition of financial self support.

In fact, we often point out that the North Dakota Game and Fish Department does not receive any state general fund allocation.

In class and in general conversation, that actually surprises a lot of people.

It is also surprising to some that the Game and Fish Department has not asked the legislature for any resident license fee increases since 1995, when an individual fishing license went from $9 to $10, and a husband-wife fishing license went from $13 to $14.

Certainly, a few resident license fees have increased slightly since then, but these were initiated by legislators and not specifically sought by Game and Fish.

In addition, nonresident license fees have also held the line since 2003, when the legislature — also independent of any requests from Game and Fish — adjusted nonresident small game, waterfowl, big game and fishing licenses from levels established in 1993.

The Game and Fish Department’s annual income consists of about 45 percent state hunting, fishing, trapping and other license dollars and 50 percent federal aid from manufacturers’ excise taxes on hunting and fishing equipment.

Federal aid funds are typically received as reimbursement for 75 percent of the cost for fish and wildlife related projects like improving boat landings and ramps and conducting wildlife and fisheries surveys.

To remain eligible for federal aid, state wildlife agencies may not divert license or federal aid funds to purposes other than those related to fish and wildlife.

For instance, the state could not take money from the Game and Fish fund to cover a shortfall in another agency without jeopardizing millions of dollars of federal aid.

Across the country, many state conservation agencies are having financial difficulties.

North Dakota’s Game and Fish Department heads into the upcoming legislative session with a positive fund balance and again, no request for license fee adjustments.

Much of the good fortune in the Game and Fish financial picture is either directly or indirectly related to the advent of the federal Conservation Reserve Program, the random appearance of an unprecedented wet cycle that started in 1993 and is still providing benefits today, and a series of mild winters through the mid-2000s.

It’s fair to wonder how long this good fortune will last.

Will North Dakota’s Game and Fish Department have to deal with future budget shortfalls, though they may be years down the road?

On the other hand, perhaps climatic conditions and habitat set-aside programs will remain stable and the state will maintain hunting and fishing participation at levels high enough to support wildlife and fisheries management and conservation in North Dakota without adjusting license fees.

Fortunately, we have time to prepare in case the worst should happen.

Leier is a biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. E-mail him at dleier@ap.org.

Tags: doug leier, outdoors