Do you: Buy fishing gear? Fuel up your boat? Purchase a fishing license? Every time you do these things, you are helping to improve your fishing experience. You are among the many anglers and boaters who support the Sport Fish Restoration Program. This national program, managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), collects money from excise taxes on fishing equipment, import duties on fishing equipment and boats, taxes on motorboat and small-engine fuels. The revenue collected is used to create future fishing and boating opportunities.
Where It All Began
Revenue is generated from federal taxes on fishing-related items such as licenses, motorboat fuels, and fishing gear creates recreational sport fishing enhancement projects throughout Florida. The money is returned to Florida based on a formula involving the number of individual paid license holders.
Sport Fish Restoration Projects
Each year a variety of recreational freshwater and saltwater fishing projects, as well as boating safety and boating access projects are funded with money from the Sport Fish Restoration Program. The project objectives vary each year but often include researching Florida's sport fish populations, aquatic habitat enhancement, fish stocking, teaching women and children how to fish, and providing geospatial information about fishing and boating to users. Accomplishments (Select Florida, A Year and Sportfish Restoration for Annual Reports)
Boating Access Improvements
Marine boating-access sites have been restored with Sport Fish Restoration dollars.
Sport Fish Restoration FAQs
Do you have questions about Sport Fish Restoration? Read the Sport Fish Restoration FAQs for answers.
Sport Fish Restoration Survey 
We are trying to determine how many people have heard of Sport Fish Restoration, can identify the program's logo, and can identify the many saltwater projects Florida's SFR Program funds. Take this survey to tell us what you know about SFR!
Saltwater Angler Survey
Help us better understand the dynamics of recreational fishing in Florida and more effectively gather information on selected recreational fisheries.
Visit Web sites related to Sport Fish Restoration (SFR). Order free copies of numerous SFR publications, including boater's guides and our ongoing series of Mark Sosin videos. A summary flyer, Sport Fish Restoration in Florida, is also available.
Are you interested in attending Ladies, Let's Go Fishing, Kids' Fishing Clinics or Freshwater Fishing Camps in your area? Our calendar of events highlights these and other upcoming SFR-funded activities around the state.
Persons with Disabilities