America’s recreational fishing industry paid for its own marketing programmes through excise taxes on rods, reels and boat fuel. Then federal efficiency officials cancelled them anyway. On 10 June 2025, the Interior Department terminated RBFF’s grant, ending a 27-year partnership that began in 1998.
By that date, RBFF had distributed more than $26 million in the current funding cycle, part of $164 million received since 2012. The termination came after the Department of Government Efficiency flagged spending concerns. President Trump established DOGE via executive order on 20 January 2025 as a temporary oversight body to identify wasteful federal spending and modernise government technology.
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Why DOGE Targeted the Programme
Senator Joni Ernst, who chairs the DOGE caucus in the Senate, discovered spending decisions her team considered problematic. Her staff found contracts worth millions and executive salaries exceeding $300,000.
Spending That Raised Concerns:
- $1.99 million to Walt Disney Parks and Resorts for advertising campaigns
- $5.15 million to Colle McVoy, a Minneapolis creative agency
- Executive compensation ranging from $102,000 to $318,735
RBFF president David Chanda earned the highest salary according to the organisation’s 2024 tax filings. Eight executives made over $100,000 annually.
“Washington fell hook, line, and sinker into padding the pockets of overpriced recreational consultants,” Ernst told Fox News when the story broke publicly on 30 June.
The Senate DOGE Caucus claimed the cancellation would save $40.5 million in near-term spending. That claim sparked immediate pushback from industry groups who pointed out where the money actually came from.
The Money Trail That Changed Everything
The terminated grant wasn’t funded by general taxpayers. Every dollar came from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, supported entirely by fishing industry excise taxes.
The fund collects:
- 10% excise tax on fishing tackle purchases
- 3% tax on fish finders and electric trolling motors
- Motorboat fuel tax portions
- Import duties on fishing equipment and pleasure craft
Anglers and boaters paid for fishing outreach programmes designed to recruit more participants. The Interior Department was cancelling an initiative funded by the fishing industry itself, not by general tax revenue.
The distinction proved crucial. RBFF wasn’t spending taxpayer dollars on Disney contracts. Instead, the organisation used industry dollars collected specifically for fishing promotion and conservation.
“We are wholly funded via a competitive grant that is awarded through the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service via the Sport Fish Restoration excise tax,” RBFF stated in response. The organisation emphasised support from state fish and wildlife agencies and industry retailers in all 50 states.
Glenn Hughes, president of the American Sportfishing Association, emphasised the historical context. His members agreed to self-impose these taxes in 1950 specifically to reinvest money into conservation and participation programmes.
As Hughes explained, “Without consultation and coordination with the recreational fishing industry, the Department of the Interior decided to withhold critical funding from RBFF.” The decision ended “a 27-year history of increasing fishing participation.”
Programmes That Vanished Overnight
Starting 1 April 2025, the Interior Department stopped releasing recreational fishing grants, coinciding with RBFF’s new fiscal year. All angler recruitment programmes were suspended immediately.
National Campaigns That Stopped:
- Take Me Fishing television and digital advertising
- Vamos A Pescar Spanish language outreach
- Social media and influencer partnerships
- Search engine marketing driving traffic to state resources
State Support That Ended:
- Annual grants to state fish and wildlife agencies
- State Marketing Workshop bringing 50 states together
- First Catch Centers teaching youth to fish
- Boat registration reactivation programmes
RBFF furloughed eight of its 16 employees by 6 June. Some staff remained, hoping funds would still arrive. Four days later, the official termination letter from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ended that hope.
“We kept some employees in place because we were hopeful the funds would come through,” Stephanie Vatalaro, RBFF’s chief operating officer, told Outdoor Life. “At some point soon, we’ll run out of the remaining funds and those of us left will move on.”
How RBFF Defended Its Spending Choices
The Walt Disney contract drew fierce criticism. Yet RBFF had partnered with Disney since 2013 for specific strategic reasons.
The agreement gave families fishing opportunities at Disney World marinas, then connected them with TakeMeFishing.org to find spots near their homes. Disney’s media networks also aired programming featuring characters going fishing, reaching children on Disney Channel and Disney XD.
Why Disney? RBFF research showed people rarely start fishing after age 12. Reaching children required going where children spent their time.
As Vatalaro explained to Outdoor Life, “If you want to reach kids, Disney is the place to go.” She compared RBFF’s spending to major consumer brands’ budgets for single seasonal campaigns.
The Find Your Best Self campaign created by Colle McVoy won AdWeek’s Best Total Campaign award in 2024. Industry data validated RBFF’s approach. Rather than buying frivolous advertising, the group invested in professional national marketing.
The group also emphasised its accountability structures. A 25-member board comprising state and industry leaders governed RBFF. The group underwent annual audits, federal reporting, and quarterly meetings with federal partners.
Did the Marketing Actually Work?
RBFF reported fishing license sales dropped 8.6% across 16 states that report data to a national dashboard. The group calculated this represented $590 million in lost angler spending and 5,600 jobs at risk.
The industry faces a “leaky bucket” problem, warned the American Sportfishing Association. Participation had grown from 45 million to nearly 58 million anglers over the past decade. Without recruitment programmes, fishing would lose participants faster than it gained them.
RBFF pointed to broader economic stakes. Recreational fishing generates $230.5 billion in annual economic impact, supporting 1.1 million jobs. The recreational boating industry adds another $230 billion annually and 812,000 jobs. Combined, these industries produce $26.9 billion in tax revenue and contribute $2 billion yearly to conservation efforts.
But did those participation gains come from RBFF marketing or from other factors? Critics questioned whether the COVID-19 pandemic drove people outdoors rather than RBFF advertising.
MeatEater noted fishing license sales historically peaked in 1980 at 31.5 million holders, then declined for decades before spiking to 32.2 million in late 2023. The recent decline could simply reflect a return to pre-pandemic patterns rather than RBFF’s absence.
Five Months Later, Still No Answers
The Interior Department restructured the funding approach entirely. Instead of awarding one large grant to a single organisation, officials planned to distribute approximately 15 smaller grants across multiple recipients.
The new funding opportunity appeared on USFWS grant pages in August 2025. Applications were due 17 August. Grant recipients should have received notification by 1 October.
As of 15 December 2025, the Interior Department has announced no decisions. Which organisations, if any, received recreational fishing grants remains unknown. RBFF confirmed it submitted an application but acknowledged the group “will not likely be the same organisation going forward” under the new structure.
State wildlife agencies that relied on RBFF training workshops, marketing templates, and research resources have made no public statements about filling those gaps. The website remains active but lists no current programmes or campaigns.
For comprehensive coverage of government decisions affecting outdoor recreation and conservation policy, visit NewZire.
What Comes Next for States and the Fishing Industry
State fish and wildlife agencies now face unwelcome choices. They can redirect conservation budgets meant for habitat work toward marketing and recruitment efforts. Or they can accept declining participation as younger generations skip fishing entirely.
Neither option works for departments already managing tight resources. Habitat restoration projects lose funding when money shifts to marketing. Participation drops when marketing stops. That’s the leaky bucket problem made real.
Can private industry fill the gap? Individual tackle manufacturers and boat builders lack the coordination and resources RBFF provided through centralised fishing outreach funding. Trade associations like the American Sportfishing Association focus on policy advocacy, not consumer marketing campaigns reaching millions.
The interior department RBFF grant cancellation eliminated the only centralised entity using industry-paid excise taxes to promote fishing nationally. What replaces it will determine whether America’s $230 billion fishing industry continues growing or returns to the declining participation rates that prompted RBFF’s creation in 1998.
The October deadline passed without announcements. States are planning 2026 budgets without knowing if federal marketing support will return. The fishing industry that paid for its own promotion now waits to learn if anyone will promote fishing at all.
Information sourced from: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service termination letter dated 10 June 2025, Department of Government Efficiency executive order, American Sportfishing Association statements, Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, and reporting from Fox News, Outdoor Life, and MeatEater.
