(The Center Square) – The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency has reduced its fiscal year 2026 budget by $800,000 and has 20 vacant positions, according to the agency.
However, the cuts are not enough to offset rising costs, which has prompted the agency to look at increasing fees for hunting, fishing and boat registration.
The lack of funding has particularly affected the numerous requests the agency receives to work on the state’s 1,200 boat ramps and public access areas.
“However, this requires a significant investment of funding and labor to build and maintain overtime,” Emily Buck, director of marketing and communications, said in an email to The Center Square. “Heavy equipment crews are also essential for other projects such as infrastructure, road grading, and habitat work on Wildlife Management Areas. TWRA is limited by funding and staff capacity to complete projects, which has caused a delay. Even with additional funding for the projects, the agency would still need to hire additional heavy equipment crews to move through the backlog of projects.”
The department has cut in other areas. Magazines produced by the department were provided for free for lifetime and sportsman license holders, according to Buck. An increase in printing costs has limited complimentary magazine distribution to one per household. The change does not affect paid subscriptions.
The last time the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission agreed to raise the fees was in 2014. Those increases took effect in 2015. At least one, the Realfoot Preservation Permit, has been the same since 2005. The one-day permit will move from $3 to $5 and the annual permit from $16 to $25 if approved by the commission, according to the agency.
The proposed fee hikes range from 27% to 30%, though some may be smaller. For example, the Sportsman License fee that encompasses hunting, trapping and sport fishing will go from $165 to $185, a 12% increase.
The most significant chunk of the agency’s revenue comes from license and registration fees, according to the agency. Federal grants comprise 29%, and 15% comes from the agency’s reserve funds.
Just 0.4% comes from the state’s general fund. Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Bill Cox said other states get a portion of the sales tax to help offset their costs.
“Those states spend as much money as Tennessee, we just get it all through licensing. This business model is not sustainable in my opinion. We need to do something different,” Cox said at the commission’s September meeting.
The public can comment on the fee changes on the agency’s website until Nov. 30. The commission will hold a public hearing during their Dec. 6 meeting at the Ducks Unlimited headquarters in Memphis.
