Sport Fish Restoration Account PDF Download

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) Sport Fish Restoration Program, focusing on: (1) FWS management of program funds; (2) whether FWS use of program funds assists program goals; (3) whether states have adequately funded freshwater and marine projects; and (4) the extent to which states use program funding to restore and enhance fish habitat. GAO found that: (1) FWS administrative and special investigation program costs have increased significantly since 1988; (2) although the majority of the cost deductions are due to new FWS deduction policies and offsetting deductions to fund two major studies, FWS cannot provide a sufficient basis for all the administrative cost deductions from the Sport Fish Restoration Account; (3) FWS cannot ensure that its special investigations are meeting program objectives because many special investigations do not follow established approval procedures; (4) FWS has not established program funding priorities that reflect states' needs; (5) FWS provides minimal oversight of approved projects; (6) four of the five states reviewed equitably distribute funds between freshwater and marine projects in accordance with legislative requirements; (7) one state that had difficulty in meeting its obligations ultimately provided the matching funds required; (8) the states' use of program funds to enhance fish habitat varies; and (9) there are not sufficient data to determine the total amount of program funding used for habitat-related projects.