Fish and Boat Commission

Pennsylvania’s fishing and boating programs are paid for by anglers and boaters through a user pays, user benefits model, primarily from the sale of fishing licenses and boat registrations. The Commission has two legislatively authorized Special Funds, the Fish Fund and the Boat Fund. These Funds receive money mainly from license and registration fees, fines and penalties, tax refunds of motorboat fuel, and federal funds. By far, the largest sources of revenue are license fees for the Fish Fund and registration fees for the Boat Fund. Since fiscal year 2005, these fees accounted for nearly 67.5% of all Fish Fund revenues and 51% of total Boat Fund revenues. The Commission regularly monitors the fiscal status of the Fish Fund and the Boat Fund to ensure that adequate funds are available to maintain and support programs that meet the expectations of anglers, boaters and other users of Pennsylvania’s aquatic resources.

The Bureau of Hatcheries supports the Commission’s mission by providing fishing opportunities through the annual propagation and distribution of approximately 3.2 million adult trout and 50 million warm water and cool water fish of various species and size. These fish are produced in the Commission’s 13 state fish hatcheries, located throughout the commonwealth. Additionally, the Commission provides approximately 1 million trout fingerlings each year to local volunteers through the Cooperative Nursey Program. In total, the Bureau of Hatcheries’ operations account for nearly 30 percent of total annual expenditures, making it the Commission’s largest organizational spending category and a primary driver of fishing license sales.